


you came out of nowhere (there was nothing I could do)

by Keepcalmandclexaon



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-24 01:16:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6136367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keepcalmandclexaon/pseuds/Keepcalmandclexaon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke and Lexa meet at Arkadia University, where they live in rival dorms and happen to meet one night while studying at the library. through a series of amusing events, they discover their lives are more intertwined than they could have imagined. features an all-knowing Raven, the dynamic match-making duo of Raven and Octavia, and  the goofy best friends Monty and Jasper who always find themselves in the middle of trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. you came out of nowhere, [and I] got lost in your stare

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing, just grateful that Jason Rothenberg and company have created these characters I get to play around with in this fanfic. 
> 
> this is only my second fanfic I've ever written/posted (the first was almost 5 years ago), so please be gentle with your comments. 
> 
> huge thanks to [Jamith](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamith) for running over ideas with me, reading my drafts of this piece, and just being an overall awesome human (go check out her stories, too- they're great!)
> 
> come talk nerdy to me on tumblr at [keepcalmandclexaon](http://keepcalmandclexaon.tumblr.com) about the 100 or anything really

Lexa throws open her dorm room door quickly, almost knocking Raven, who was on her way out, to the ground.

“Jesus, Lexa, where’s the fucking fire?” Raven spits out as she dodges the door, narrowly avoiding having her knee being hit by its corner. Lexa carefully places her backpack on top of her bed before turning to face Raven. Normally, she would at least attempt to look a little  apologetic, but she’s too exhausted today to give Raven anything other than her usual stoic expression.

“I apologize, Raven. It’s been a hectic day. I was up late ensuring the paper was sent to the printers on time, and we were having issues with the paper’s website again, so I had to stay an hour later to discuss the problem with Monty. I will never understand how he is a functioning human with the odd hours he keeps- how anyone can constantly stay up until 4 a.m. and still make it to morning lectures is beyond me. ”

Raven can’t help but smirk at her roommate’s formal tone- it’s been over a year of living together and she has yet to hear Lexa speak in anything remotely casual.

“Must be a biomedical engineering thing- I can’t even count the number of nights I’ve gotten lost in a new project design only to realize I was about to miss my 9 a.m. class.”

Lexa sighs. “Yes, well, I only wish he would attempt to understand that other people are not as adept at handling sleep deprivation. Having only a few hours of sleep before my 8 a.m. class was less than ideal. ”

“You know, you wouldn’t have this problem if you would just assign someone to be the website editor. If only you weren’t such a control freak.” Raven says teasingly, nudging Lexa with her shoulder so the other girl knows she’s kidding. Lexa gives her a small smile in return before hurriedly swapping out the items in her backpack for textbooks sitting on her desk.

“My mother always says ‘victory stands on the back of sacrifice’. Have you seen my macroeconomics textbook? I have a quiz tomorrow and I seemed to have misplaced it.” Lexa says as she blows stray hairs out of her face with an annoyed huff.

Raven scans the desk and laughs as she moves a folder off an enormous book that somehow manages to look more boring than her own calculus one. “My mother always says ‘the shit you need is usually right in front of your face’. I’m going to take this as a sign that you need to take a short break before going to what I’m betting will be another long night in the library.”

“Raven, I don’t have time-” Lexa started to argue.

Raven just tosses the econ book in Lexa’s backpack before slinging the bag over her shoulder. She grabs Lexa’s hand and pulls her toward the door.

“Nope, no arguing. Your ass is joining me for dinner because Jasper and Monty bailed and I am not about to damage my rep by eating alone in the dining hall. Although, maybe that will make me seem more mysterious...girls like that shit, right?” Raven shoots Lexa a wink.

Lexa looks thoughtful for a moment, before replying “In my experience, most women appreciate you being more...straightforward with them.” She tries to keep her face impassive, but can’t help letting a small smirk out.

Raven gasps dramatically, “Lexa Trikru, did you just make a sexual joke? I am SHOCKED. My poor, innocent ears!”

Lexa shoots her a look of disbelief at that. “If there is anything I have learned after a year of living with you, it is that there is no innocence left in your being.”

Raven shrugs before throwing her arm around Lexa’s shoulder. “Too true, but I’m a firm believer than innocence is boring. Now c’mon, it’s pasta night and I’m fucking starving.” The pair make their way down the hall, Lexa ducking out from under Raven’s arm after a few seconds. Raven just laughs, knowing how uncomfortable her roommate can be with physical affection, and playfully shoves Lexa toward the elevator.

* * *

 

A few hours later, Lexa is settled at her favorite table in the library. It’s a fairly large table, but close to the café at the front of the building so most students avoid sitting there- most likely afraid they’d get distracted by friends walking in or the bustling of the café workers. Lexa learned at a young age how to effectively block out noise, a necessity when growing up with four children under a single roof. Don’t get her wrong, she’s beyond grateful that Indra took her in as one of her own, grateful to have Lincoln as a protective big brother, grateful to have grown through her teenage years looking after Charlotte, Myles, and Connor. But sometimes, she can’t help but wonder what her life would have been like had she been raised by her biological parents. Would she have had any siblings? Would she have still turned into the serious nineteen year old she has become, or would she have been more carefree? Would she even be at Arkadia University or might she have ended up at another university, maybe on the west coast rather than the east? Lexa is so lost in her thoughts she doesn’t realize someone has approached her until a hand is resting on her shoulder. She jumps in surprise, knocking the book that was resting on her lap to the floor. A faint blush covers her cheeks as she quickly picks up the book, placing it and the headphones she had in onto the table. She turns in her chair, glancing up to see who has interrupted her musings. Theo Jaha is standing beside her, chuckling lightly.

“Sorry, Lexa. I didn’t mean to startle you, but I’m about to close up for the night and thought I’d see if you wanted to come grab another coffee before I left.” he glanced down at the table, eyeing the stack of textbooks and notes neatly organized around Lexa’s laptop, “looks like it’s going to be another late night for you.”

Lexa brushes her hand through her hair and lightly groans. 

“Once again, Jaha, your observational skills are impeccable. And yes, as much as I despise drinking coffee this late, I do believe it is a necessity tonight. Thank you for coming to tell me.” 

She stands and follows him to his café, aptly titled ‘Jaha’s Java’. Jaha also owns a small restaurant on campus, but works at the cafe a few times a week, claiming that being around the students keeps him young and reminds him of his own college years. Lexa had become familiar with him early during her freshman year, as she quickly found coffee to be a necessity in her college life. Though Lexa is generally a private person, Jaha has an openness about him that Lexa appreciates. He would often toss small anecdotes over the counter as her coffee brewed, mostly ones about the trouble his teenage son Wells used to get into as a young child, and Lexa found herself almost unconsciously sharing her own stories. Sometimes they would be adventures her and Lincoln had growing up, sometimes of the times Indra would patiently teach Lexa how to cook a recipe the family loved, their light chatter filling  the unusually quiet kitchen. A sense of homesick would often hit her without warning after telling these stories.

So Lexa has found the library to be her favorite study location, giving her a sense of nostalgia, to the point where she can sometimes close her eyes and imagine being back at home. She's sitting at the dining room table, headphones in with the music up loud enough to drown out Myles’ cries from whatever new torture Connor was putting his brother through, polishing an essay while Lincoln sits across from her finishing his own homework. She can picture his grin when Indra brings them milk and cookies, sticking out his tongue playfully at Lexa to try to get her to laugh. Lexa tossing her pencil at him and calling him immature, which results in him chasing her around the table and tackling her to the ground, tickling her mercilessly until she maneuvers out of his hold. Her pinning him down just like he taught her in the self-defense lessons he insisted he give her when she started high school, and Indra standing in the doorway, rolling her eyes but with a soft smile on her face.

Lexa is torn from her memories by Jaha placing a fresh cup of coffee in front of her.

“Are you okay? You seem quieter than usual tonight.” He asks, concern etching its way across his face.

Lexa shrugs and glances around them before softly saying “I suppose I’m missing home a bit. Charlotte's birthday is this weekend and I’m unable to make it back this year.” She pulls her wallet out of her front pocket, hoping the action will take away some of her awkwardness at sharing something so personal so easily.

Jaha gives her a sympathetic smile before waving his hand at her money. “It’s on the house. You’ve pretty much kept me in business the last year, so I think you’ve earned a free one.”

Lexa gives him a brief smile in gratitude, then moves to the small table housing the cream and sugar. Jaha waits as she adds six spoonfuls of sugar and enough milk to turn the coffee light tan, then reaches around her to grab the sugar and cream.

“I still can’t believe you ruin my coffee with all that crap,” he teases as he places the cream into the small fridge underneath the counter.

“Yes, well, if you were able to make a drinkable cup of coffee, it wouldn’t require the addition of all this crap,” she throws back with a slight grin of her own. He just laughs and tells her goodnight, Lexa returning her own goodbye before heading back to her table.

Which is significantly less empty than when she left it.

Lexa stares at the blonde girl who is currently unpacking her bag, haphazardly spreading papers and textbooks across from Lexa’s own items. Lexa approaches the table wearily, unsure how to politely tell the stranger to find her own damn study space, when the girl finally looks up.

Lexa can’t help but catch her breath. The girl has the bluest eyes- ones that remind her of the day trip her family took to Cape Cod a few years ago, remembering the horizon where the sky met the sea and merged into the most stunning shade of blue she had ever seen. Until now.

The girl smiles up at Lexa, and asks in a slightly desperate voice, “Is it alright if I sit here? I’ve seriously walked around the entire library three times and couldn’t find an open study carrel.”

Half of Lexa wants to tell the girl that’s her own fault for showing up at the library at midnight and unreasonably expecting to find a seat available; the other half of her wants to, well, tell the girl she would gladly allow her to sit at her table. Which causes Lexa to jolt a bit- a desire to accommodate others doesn’t happen often for her. She’ll analyze that later, she supposes, as right now she desperately needs to return to her studying. Lexa gives the girl a slight nod before settling into her seat. She reaches for her headphones, but hesitates as she looks up to see the girl watching her.

“Thanks. I’m Clarke, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met before,” Clarke says before sticking her hand across the table towards Lexa.

“Lexa,” is all she offers as she gives Clarke a quick, but firm handshake. She picks up her headphones without hesitation this time and places the buds in her ears, missing Clarke’s quiet whisper of “okayyy?” as her music starts playing again. 

The pair work in steady silence that lasts about an hour before Clarke begins fidgeting in her seat. Lexa can’t help noticing the movement, her eyes drifting to the girl across from her and watching as a yawn takes over Clarke’s face. Her coffee finished long ago, Lexa is also starting to feel tired, and finds herself  re-reading the same sentence in her book without retaining any of the information. Clarke lets out a frustrated groan and extends her arms above her head. As she stretches, her t-shirt exposes a sliver of skin and Lexa finds herself unconsciously following the shirt hem’s path upward. When Clarke lets out a little hum of pleasure, Lexa’s eyes snap up to her face, just in time for blue eyes to connect with hers. Clarke gives her a small smile that Lexa returns without thinking. The moment is broken when Clarke leans down toward her backpack.

“I’m going to run to the vending machine for some snacks, do you want anything?” Clarke asks as she searches through her bag for her wallet.

Lexa clears her throat before replying, “A water would be great. And a granola bar if there are any.”

Clarke smirks at her, “You heard when I said I was getting snacks, right? Sure you don’t want a Reese’s or something, you know, unhealthy?”

“No, I’m fine with what I asked for,” Lexa says as she tries to hand Clarke a few dollar bills.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. This is on me- it’s the least I could do after you saved me from a night studying in my dorm with my roommate who doesn’t understand the meaning of silence,” Clarke states as she stands.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Clarke nods in reply, then heads to the basement where the vending machines are located. Lexa rubs at her eyes as Clarke walks away, realizing how badly her eyes are burning. Which is pretty bad, considering she’s had her contacts in for over 17 hours. She pulls her contact holder and travel size solution out of her bag, quickly removing the offending lenses and replaces them with her glasses. Lexa glances at her reflection in her laptop screen, grimacing slightly at the out-of-date glasses resting on her face. She finds herself wishing she had taken Indra’s offer up during summer break to buy a new pair, but the ones she has were still in reasonably good shape, and she didn’t want to waste the money. She knows money is tight, what with both her and Lincoln in college, and doesn’t want to add any unnecessary financial burdens to her family. Even though they both received academic scholarships that cover their tuition and part of room and board, there are still many other things to pay for like textbooks, student activity fees, and meal plans. She lightly berates herself for not choosing a more modern pair when she started high school, but she had found the oversized, speckled glasses charming- not to mention the fact that they were very affordable. She sighs and forces herself to return her focus on her work.

Clarke returns a few minutes later, awkwardly holding two water bottles while balancing several packages of food against her chest. Lexa quickly jumps up and grabs the waters from Clarke, their fingers lightly brushing in the process. Lexa carefully places the bottles on the table, staring a bit at the number of granola bars scattered among the chips and candy as Clarke dumps the items unceremoniously on top of her books.

“I, uh, wasn’t sure if you liked a certain flavor, so I just got one of each,” Clarke explains.

“That was very considerate of you, thank you,” Lexa replies, grabbing a dark chocolate and almond bar as she sits back down.

“I also got a Reese’s in case you feel like living on the edge tonight,” Clarke says as she tears open a bag of salt and vinegar chips. She shoots Lexa a friendly wink, which causes Lexa to immediately divert her attention to opening the granola wrapper while murmuring another thank you to Clarke. They eat their snacks in relative silence before Clarke asks her what year she is in.

“I am a sophomore, although sometimes with my class load I feel like I am a senior. What about you?”

“I’m a sophomore, too. And I agree, doing a major and minor seemed like a good idea at the end of last year, but I’m kind of regretting it now.”

Lexa hums in agreement, “I have similar feelings on my double major, though I do enjoy the challenge of pursuing two fields of study. What are your major and minor in?”

“I’m majoring in biology, minoring in art,” Clarke says before crunching down on some chips. “What about you?” she asks once she’s swallowed.

Lexa takes a sip from her water before replying, “I’m majoring in English writing and Economics.”

“Damnnnn,” Clarke draws out, “that’s an interesting and intense combination.”

Lexa nods, “I suppose that’s true. Though the same could be said of yours. Art and biology are fairly different.”

Clarke shrugs, “I guess, but I’ve always loved the creative side to science. I’d like to find a job where I could do both, like medical illustration or something. My mom’s a doctor and I used to go to a clinic with her that she’d volunteer for on the weekends and play with the kids who were waiting for their parents to get examined. I think my mom was kind of hoping I’d follow in her footsteps, but unfortunately I am ridiculously squeamish when it comes to wounds and blood. But with something like medical illustration I could use my art to take complicated medical ideas and help the patients better understand what they’re going through or the treatment options they have, you know? Doctors can sometimes end up talking circles around their patients because they’re so used to their own language- trust me, I am an expert at knowing this having lived with one my entire life.”

Lexa is impressed- most students their year can hardly decide which classes to register for, let alone have an idea of what they want to do after graduation. "That’s very noble of you, wanting to use your gifts to help people out. I have to admit, my majors are tailored to a more selfish goal of becoming a financial consultant. Economics will obviously be useful, but I also thought honing my writing and speaking skills through English writing would help, as I will undoubtedly need well-developed communication skills to succeed in the field.”

“Well, I’d say you’re setting yourself up for quite a career then,” Clarke says, “you already have a very...sophisticated way of speaking.”

Lexa offers her a small smile,“Thank you, Clarke. I must confess, I do have a bit of a dream to help others, as well.” Clarke raises her eyebrow, encouraging Lexa to continue, “I would like to get my CPA certification and help foster families file their taxes or just give them advice on finances and how they could save money for adoptions if that is a desire of theirs. Ideally, I would do that non-for-profit on the weekends.” Lexa looks down shyly at her lap, fidgeting a little with her hands as she worries about the questions her over-sharing may bring up.

“That’s really cool,” Clarke replies, getting the vibe that Lexa doesn’t really want to talk about it anymore. Instead, she sends the girl a warm smile once her gaze returns to Clarke’s, then picks up her molecular biology notebook and begins looking over her notes again. Lexa also returns her attention to her books, relieved that Clarke didn’t push Lexa to explain more. The two soon return to their studying, though they break up monotony by quietly asking one another questions every once in awhile. During one of these small breaks,  Lexa tries to slyly grab a Reese’s, giving into her late night craving for chocolate, but Clarke catches her and lets out a small smirk at the action. By 2:30 a.m., it’s clear they’re both struggling to stay awake and they mutually decide to pack up. Lexa is thankful she doesn’t have class until ten and is looking forward to collapsing into her bed for a few hours.

“Which dorm do you live in? I’d like to walk you home if you'll allow me; I know our campus is generally safe, but I would like to ensure you get home without any trouble,” Lexa says as they’re walking out the library doors.

“That’d be great. I’m so tired right now I probably wouldn’t even realize if someone tried to attack me. And I’m in Sky Hall- what about you?” Clarke replies with a grateful smile.

“Oh, you’re one of the Sky people. I live in Ground Hall. I’ve always wondered who named our dormitories. Do you think they did it on purpose to try to foster competition between the two halls?”

“Ahh, a Grounder. Good thing we became friends before we learned we’re mortal enemies,” Clarke says in a faux serious tone. Arkadia University has a long standing- most friendly- rivalry between Ground Hall and Sky Hall, which goes back to the founding of the school when they were the only two dorms on campus. The halls would hold events between the residence halls during the school’s homecoming week, and even though there are many other dorms on campus now, Ground Hall and Sky Hall almost always end up competing against each other.

“Indeed. Had I known you were loyal to the Sky people, I would have never allowed you to study at my table, let allow offered to walk you home,” Lexa returns, her eyebrow raised in mock sternness.

Clarke laughs at that, “Please. I can already tell you're way too chivalrous to allow a lady to walk by herself at this hour,”

Lexa lets out a smile in response, “Perhaps you are right. In any case, I have never been one to abandon something I’ve set out to accomplish.”

“I can respect that,” Clarke says with a grin, happy that she has gotten Lexa to joke around with her. Just a few hours ago she thought Lexa was standoffish and a bit cold, but she’s realizing there is more to her than what Clarke saw in her first impression.

They walk in an easy silence for a few minutes before reaching Sky Hall. Lexa’s own dorm is across from Clarke’s, with a spacious lawn separating the buildings. Lexa walks Clarke up the steps, making sure the girl reaches the door safely. Clarke hides a smile at Lexa’ thoroughness, but also finds it endearing. “Thank you for walking me home,” Clarke says as she reaches into her back pocket for her keycard.

“It wasn't a problem, especially seeing as I live right across the quad from you,” Lexa replies easily.

“Still, it was really sweet of you. And thanks again for letting me studying at your table. You probably saved my life, or at least my molecular bio grade.”

Lexa scoffs a bit, “I highly doubt one night of studying could affect your grade so drastically, but you’re welcome. Have a good night, or rather, a good morning, Clarke.” Clarke replies with her own goodbye, watching as the other girl steadily walks down the stairs. It’s really not fair; no one should be able to move with such composure at this hour.

“Hey Lexa!” Clarke yells as Lexa reaches the grass. She waits until the other girl turns around to continue, “See you around?”

“Yes, may we meet again, Clarke, “ Lexa replies in a deadly serious tone, before her lips curl up in a small smile. She gives Clarke a cute wave before she continues her trek across the quad toward Ground Hall.

“May we meet again,” Clarke lets out with a laugh as she turns to open her dorm’s door, “I like that.”

 


	2. :take the weight off you, push away the rocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I wasn't sure I was even going to continue writing this after the episode last week because I thought it was going to hurt too much. but it's been kind of therapeutic to write again the last few days. hopefully you guys will find some comfort in reading this or other fics. our fandom is amazing and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. 
> 
> anyway, here's the next chapter. hope you like it! <3

Wednesday morning comes too soon for Clarke’s liking. She groans as she hits the snooze button on her phone, determined to get another ten minutes of rest before facing the world. The previous day was one of her easy ones, having just a lab in the afternoon, but she had stayed up late last night watching House. Just as her eyes are closing, a door slams in the hallway, jolting her completely awake. Sighing, she rolls out of bed and decides to take a shower before class.

After a quick stop at the student center for some coffee, Clarke finds herself walking into the Arkadia Science Center with fifteen minutes to spare. She passes by several students who are hanging out in the lobby, killing time before their classes start. Some of them nod to her in recognition and she returns the gesture. Rather than making small talk with them, Clarke decides to head to her classroom and review her molecular bio notes from the recent reading assignment. With their first exam coming up soon, she wants to make sure she really understands the latest material. She enters the room and sees there’s only one other student here this early. They’re snoring lightly with their face hidden in the crook of an elbow, their head resting on folded arms. The long, dark hair tied up in a ponytail and maroon bomber jacket are a dead giveaway for who it is though, and Clarke grins at the opportunity to mess with her lab partner. She carefully sets her backpack on the ground before slamming her metal coffee tumbler on the table next to the girl’s face.

Raven jerks in surprise, then groans as she lifts her head, “You bitch. That was so fucking rude,” she grumbles as she rubs her eyes.

Clarke just laughs, “Is that any way to talk to the person who is going to save your ass from failing this class?”

Raven flips her off in response and lets her head drop back down to the table. Clarke smirks at the girl. They’d only met a month ago when the semester started, but she has enjoyed getting to know Raven, feeling as though she’s been friends with the sarcastic engineer for much longer. “So were you up late for business or pleasure last night?”

“Neither, actually. My roommate, who I usually love but hate right now, came in at like 2 in the goddamn morning and woke me up when she tripped over something. I wouldn’t have even cared if I knew she was out so late getting laid or something, but I know she was just studying. She’s such a nerd.”

Clarke laughs, “You’re one to talk, Miss ‘I stayed up until 7 a.m. because I finally got my homemade pacemaker working’. I swear, the number of times you’ve geeked out over electrical circuits...”

Raven cracks open an eye to glare at Clarke. “There is nothing geeky about electrical circuits. Or biomedical engineering. It’s a badass major and you’re just jealous I get to work with my hands all night long,’ she says while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Clarke rolls her eyes, used to Raven’s innuendos at this point, and chooses not to respond. Raven grins at Clarke before sitting up and continuing, “I guess it may have slightly been my fault since she did trip over some scrap metal I had left lying around…but I couldn’t fall back asleep until like 2 hours later. Once I’m up, it’s hard to turn off this brilliant mind- not that you’d understand, blondie. We both know there’s nothing going on up there.” Raven says as she flicks Clarke’s forehead.

Clarke shoves her hand away playfully, “That’s big talk for someone who’s been copying my notes all semester and practically begged to be lab partners after they saw my grade from our first quiz.”

Raven frowns and folds her arms in front of her, “I did NOT beg. I just…saw an opportunity to make my life a little easier and pursued it aggressively.”

Clarke scoffs, “Yeah, because grabbing my hand after class, dropping to one knee, and pleading with me to be your lab partner is definitely not begging.” She giggles as she remembers how the other students had watched Raven’s antics on their way out of the room, some of them openly laughing while others just rolled their eyes at the strange girl. Clarke knew then that Raven was a one-of-a-kind and quickly agreed to pair up with the girl. Plus, she actually did seem pretty determined and Clarke really didn’t want to have to deal with her bugging her every class period about it.

The two continue to make small talk as their classmates slowly trickle into the classroom. The room fills with the loud chatter of students talking, which slowly dies out as Professor Pike walks in and begins organizing his lecture notes. He has a reputation for being a great teacher, but one who definitely demands respect, and none of the students want to get on his bad side. At the end of the lecture, Pike reminds them of their first exam which is the next week, warning them if they want to get a good grade they should start studying now.

Raven groans as she packs up her bag. “I almost forgot about that. Any chance you’d want to meet up and study sometime next week?”

“Sure, what night were you thinking? I have a lab report due Tuesday so I’ll probably be busy Monday night working on that,” Clarke states as she slings her backpack onto her shoulder. She waits as Raven makes some adjustments to her knee brace, then the two walk to the lobby together.

“How about next Wednesday? I think I should be done with my biomechanics project by then. Here, put your number in so I can text you and let you know,” Raven says as she hands Clarke her phone, “I’m tired of emailing you to make plans- takes way too much of my precious time.”

Clarke types her name and number into a new contact, “I’m calling bullshit on that. You just want to brag about how you got a hot girl’s digits.” She hands the phone back to Raven, who puts it in her pocket.

“Well, I can’t deny that I am pretty skilled at getting numbers from beautiful women, but just so we’re clear this is purely for academic purposes,” she replies, shooting Clarke a wink.

Clarke giggles, “Okay, Casanova, I’ll see you later. Try to stay out of trouble, at least until after our study date.” Raven smirks as she walks backwards toward the building’s front entrance, “I make no promises.” She tosses Clarke one final wink before turning around and opening the door. Clarke laughs as she watches her friend leave the science building, before heading up the stairs to her next class. At least her morning has been amusing so far.

* * *

 

The rest of her day is extremely busy, but relatively uneventful- a blur of biology lectures, a short lunch eaten in the 30 minutes, and an afternoon of sketching and digital art classes. Wednesdays are definitely her favorite days, but also her busiest and tend to leave her exhausted. Clarke is laying on her bed after dinner, trying to get some of her genetics homework finished but finding it difficult with her current food coma.

The door is suddenly thrown open so violently it knocks against her bedpost as her roommate walks in, tossing a gym bag onto her own bed. Octavia’s clenched jaw and frantic energy are a warning; Clarke prepares herself for a classic Blake rant.

“Why do people think it’s okay to send out emails in the afternoon scheduling meetings for the same damn night?” Octavia asks as she strips off a shirt that’s covered in dirt and grass stains. She sits on her bed to untie her shoes before tossing those off and pulling down her shorts.

Clarke calls out to the retreating (mostly bare) back, “Hello to you, too, honey,” unfazed by Octavia’s lack of modesty. After a year of living with the other girl, Clarke has gotten used to seeing her practically naked every day. Octavia’s unapologetic confidence is one of the things Clarke loves most about her best friend. That confidence is what made a tiny brunette walk up to the new girl on the first day of second grade and demand that they be best friends, before grabbing said girl’s hand and pulling her over to sit next to her. And here they are, going through college together 12 years later.

Octavia pops her head out a second later giving Clarke a slightly forced smiled, her face disappearing again as she slips on a fresh t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Sorry, C, I just need a vent session before I have to run.” She walks back to her bed, looking slightly less like she’d been rolling around in the quad.

Clarke waves her hands to indicate her roommate should continue, “By all means, carry on with your rant then.”

Octavia gives her a genuine smile this time, “You’re the best, babe. Okay, so the Commander sent me an email while I was in class, saying we needed to meet at 7 in the newspaper room. But I didn’t see it after class because I had to go straight from that to softball practice, which means I didn’t get it until like 10 minutes ago when the team finished eating dinner. And now I don’t even have time to shower before I have to go to this fucking thing. We **just** put the paper out on Monday, I don’t understand why this couldn’t have waited a day or two.”

Clarke tries to reason with Octavia, knowing if her friend doesn’t calm down a bit before heading to the meeting she’s likely to say something she’ll later regret, “She probably didn’t know you had practice and maybe whatever she wants to meet about needs to be said in person.”

Octavia growls in frustration, “You don’t get it! It's the fact that she has the nerve to think I don't have anything better to do but think about the paper or work on my articles. I thought the Dictator was bad last year, but the Commander is almost more demanding. And at least Anya was older than us so I could pass it off as hazing or whatever. But the Commander’s a sophomore and yet, she’s always wanting us to do more, write better, be more creative. It’s driving me up a fucking wall.”

Clarke looks at Octavia thoughtfully, “Have you ever thought that maybe the Commander asks so much from you because she knows you can handle it? You’re an amazing writer, O, and she’s probably just trying to push you to be the best.”

Octavia gives Clarke a hurt look, “I thought you were on my side?”

Clarke actually laughs at that, “Of course I am! God, I’m just trying to get you to see things from her side- all I’m saying is maybe she means well. She might just have trouble figuring out how to get that across, you know?”

Octavia stands up, irked that Clarke isn’t backing her up.  She hurriedly ties her shoes before grabbing her ID card and room key. “Yeah, well thanks for the lesson in loyalty. I thought you were my best friend- you don’t even know the Commander and yet, here you are defending her when I’m telling you she’s a crazy tyrant.” She storms out of the room and slams the door behind her. Clarke sighs, knowing that Octavia will feel bad once she’s calmed down and realize Clarke wasn’t trying to attack her. She still hates feeling like she somehow let her best friend down. There’s pretty much no hope of getting her homework finished now.

* * *

 

Octavia cools down a bit on the walk to the English building, where the newspaper has a classroom reserved as their office. She feels bad about taking her anger out on Clarke, but she’d had a shitty practice- Coach Wallace was trying to decide if he wanted to move her to the outfield or keep her at shortstop, and that meant she did nothing but chase grounders and pop flies almost nonstop for two hours- and then Lexa’s email had worsened her mood. She was just looking for a little sympathy from her best friend and didn’t expect Clarke to be so logical about the situation.

Octavia lets out a deep breath as she pushes open the door to the newsroom. It’s relatively quiet, which isn’t surprising since they put out the latest issue two days ago and people are probably out doing interviews for their next pieces. Sundays are by far the craziest, everyone in a frenzy trying to get their pieces and sections ready by the printing deadline. The rest of the days are usually more relaxed, with people popping in to write their articles or get assignments when they have time. Today, there’s only about five other people in the room. Nathan Miller, her boss of sorts, catches Octavia’s eye and gives her a wave as she steps into the room. She quickly scans the room and sees Lexa and Monty crowded together at Monty’s desk, talking quietly while they look at his computer screen. Octavia heads their way, clenching her jaw as she prepares for what will probably be another lecture from Lexa on proper grammar.

Lexa glances up and sees her a few steps before Octavia reaches them, which almost disappoints Octavia. She had been hoping to surprise the other girl- the Commander has an uncanny ability to know when someone is approaching and she always tries to sneak up on Lexa when given the opportunity.

“Hello, Octavia,” Lexa says politely, her indifferent tone grating on Octavia’s already frayed nerves.

“Hi, Lexa,” she all but spits out before turning to Monty, “Hey, Monty. How’s it going?” She smiles a bit at the goofy guy. He’s her best friend on the paper and a constant source of entertainment. The two of them have spent many late nights in this room- Monty amusing her with caricature sketches of their editors, and Octavia trying to break her record for consecutive shots into the trashcan in a row with crumpled up scrap paper (right now, it stands at 27, a number she’s been trying to beat for two weeks).

“Hey, Octavia! I’m hanging in there, what about you?” Monty returns her smile with a full blown grin.

Octavia grunts as she shrugs her shoulders, “Could be better, could be worse, I guess.” She turns her gaze back to Lexa, “So, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until this weekend? Did I use too many commas in my article again?”

Lexa narrows her eyes a bit at Octavia’s biting tone before answering, “No, your article this week was more than adequate; in fact, I think it may have been your best piece yet. The field hockey coach already emailed me to say thanks and that the players loved it.” Octavia raises her eyebrows a bit, shocked that Lexa actually gave her a compliment. “I wanted to ask whether you would be interested in taking on more responsibility with the paper.”

Now Octavia is really surprised. This is not exactly how she expected this meeting to go. “What, like a promotion? No offense, but I think Miller’s doing a pretty awesome job as sports editor, plus he’s a junior so it’d be a little weird to fire him for a sophomore…”

Lexa cuts her off, “No, I’m not asking you to be sports editor. Nathan seems to have a handle on that job, and is running the sports section very smoothly, as I told him a few minutes ago. I was wondering how you might feel about being made editor of the newspaper’s website. Monty told me you’re majoring in computer science and have an interest in web design, so I believe between that and your proficient writing skills, you would be the logical choice. ”

If Octavia didn’t know better, she’d think Lexa was joking with her, but considering she can count on both hands the number of times she’s seen Lexa smile, she knows the other girl is actually offering this to her. “Wow, yeah I’d love to be editor of the site. Uh, thanks, Lexa.”

Lexa gives a slight nod, “Excellent. I’ve already cleared it with Professor Jackson. I’ll leave you and Monty to it then- there are a few glitches we’ve been having for links on the home page, and I noticed some errors in Monroe’s article on there that need corrected.  Monty said you would be able to help him out with those.” Lexa stands and heads to her own desk.

Octavia punches Monty lightly on the arm once Lexa has turned around. “Thanks for volunteering up my services, you bitch.”

“Hey!” he mock yells, “I thought you’d enjoy spending some time with your favorite dude. Plus, this should honestly take the two of us like 20 minutes tops to figure out. Here, let me show you what I think the issue is,” he says as he swivels back to the computer screen.

Octavia sits in the seat Lexa just vacated, “Why didn’t the Commander ask you to be editor? You already help out with it enough and you’re a better coder than I am.”

Monty shrugs as he types, “You know me, I’m more of a behind the scenes kind of guy. Plus, I can't put the fear of God into people like you do.” Octavia lifts a fist to punch him again and Monty laughs as he backs away, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Honestly, I think Lexa knew I didn’t really want it. I told her about those old desktops I found in the engineering building that I want to fix up for the newsroom. I think she could tell I’d rather be doing that than uploading articles to the website.  And it’ll be good for the writers, seeing as half of them don’t have computers here.” 

“Yeah that’s a good idea. Especially since Jasper always forgets his laptop and complains how there is never a computer open when he comes in at the last minute to type up his art reviews.”

Monty just shakes his head at the mention of his scatter-brained roommate. “Yeah, he's an idiot. Did I tell you about the time he left our bong in plain sight in our dorm room last year and the RA saw it when he was walking by? I swear, his lack of awareness has almost screwed us over so many times.” Monty runs his hands through his hair as if the memory is causing him stress.

Octavia tosses her head back in laughter, “I haven't heard that one. How the hell did you get out of that?”

Monty shoots her a sly grin before replying, “We may have found him passed out drunk in the common room one night, and Jasper may have taken pictures to save for a rainy day.”

Octavia chuckles, “You mean you blackmailed your own RA? Jesus Christ.”

“I wouldn’t say we blackmailed him….more like persuaded him to see it was in all of our best interests to forget any of it ever happened,” Monty says as he links his fingers behind his head, leaning back in satisfaction.

Octavia’s phone dings from where it’s resting on the desk, alerting her she has a new text. She reaches out, plucks the phone up, and swipes her thumb across the screen to unlock it.

 **Clarke “Princess” Griffin 7:17 PM:** _How much longer will your meeting be?_

Octavia quickly types a reply, telling Clarke it’ll probably be another 15 minutes at least. She watches as an ellipsis pops up on the screen, then disappears. Octavia waits for a minute to see if Clarke will end up sending something, but puts her phone back when it becomes clear she isn’t getting another message. Monty glances up from his typing and sees Octavia’s dejected expression.

“What’s up?” he says as he nudges Octavia’s shoulder to get her attention. She sighs before telling him she snapped at Clarke earlier. He nods solemnly, “Ah, trouble in paradise then. You guys will make up though- you’re like the female version of Jasper and me, stuck together for life whether you like it or not.”

Monty slings his arm over her shoulder in comfort, “now c’mon. Let’s finish this up so you can go home to your wifey.” Octavia grumbles a little, but turns her focus back on Monty’s computer. They fall back into their work rhythm and quickly finish fixing the website glitches. Octavia waits as Monty shuts down the computer and grabs his backpack. They walk out together and are laughing at a joke Monty made when Octavia looks up to see Clarke. Monty calls out a greeting to her that Clarke returns, her gaze quickly falling back to Octavia. Monty glances between the two of them and, sensing the tension, tosses them a goodbye before walking down the hallway toward the exit.

“I’m sorry-” they both start saying at the same time before stopping to let the other talk. They laugh before Octavia continues, “I’m sorry. I was being stupid. I was tired and annoyed and I took it out on you. Sorry for being a bitch.” Octavia shoves her hands in her sweatpant pockets and looks down at the floor. She feels Clarke’s arms wrap around her, her own automatically coming up to rest around the blonde’s neck.

After a few seconds, Clarke pulls away and bends over to pick up a coffee cup and a clear plastic container from the ground near their feet. She hands them toward Octavia, a grin back on her face. “All is forgiven. I’m sorry you felt like I wasn’t on your side- you’re my best friend and of course I have your back. I brought coffee and a cupcake from Jaha’s as a peace offering.”  

Octavia takes the items and glances down at the cupcake, “Is it mocha with espresso icing?”she asks excitedly.

Clarke rolls her eyes, “Yes, you idiot. I will never make the mistake of bringing you a plain chocolate one again.”

Octavia balances the coffee in the crook of her elbow as she hurriedly opens the container, peeling away the wrapper before biting into the dessert. “You’re the fucking best friend ever,” she mumbles with her mouth full, crumbs falling out.

Clarke grabs the coffee so Octavia doesn’t spill it, then links their arms together. “Tell me something I don't know. So, how’d the meeting with the Commander go?” Clarke asks as she walks with Octavia down the hallway. Octavia cringes a bit and sheepishly tells Clarke about Lexa’s offer for her to run the paper’s website. The two walk out of the building with Clarke excitedly congratulating Octavia, their argument long forgotten as the door closes behind them and they walk off into the night.


	3. I’m just another stone waiting to be thrown back to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's got some Clexa interactions, to sate those who may have been thirsty for it after last chapter ;)  
> hopefully the next update will be faster than this one was- I've already got a bit of it written so we'll see. 
> 
> as always, I own nothing legally, though I think it's okay to say the Clexa is ours.
> 
> hope you guys enjoy it <3

Lexa is walking out of her sociology class late Friday afternoon and putting her headphones in when her phone starts vibrating. She pulls it from her back pocket, her face erupting into a smile when she sees the caller I.D. She taps the green button to answer the call.

“Hello, Lincoln,” she speaks into the headphone mic, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. She’s not entirely sure why she bothers when she knows Lincoln can hear it anyway.

“Hey, kiddo,” comes the reply, his deep voice instantly causing a rush of calmness to wash over her.

Lexa gives an exaggerated annoyed grunt, “I thought I told you to stop calling me that. You’re only a year older than me.”

Lincoln laughs, imagining how Lexa would be glaring at him if they were face to face, “Yeah, but that year lets me call you kiddo and squirt whenever I want. I don’t make the sibling rules, just follow them.”

Lexa hums at his smug tone, “So why exactly are you calling me on a Friday? Don’t you have practice today?” “Just wanted to call my favorite girl and see how she’s doing. I have a few minutes to spare before I need to leave for practice and I knew you’d be out of class soon.”

A smile spreads across Lexa’s face as she replies, “I’m doing well. This weekend will be hectic, with putting the paper together Sunday, and I have a lit paper due Monday as well, but I’m going to get started on that tonight to get ahead.”

Lincoln snorts and she can practically see him shaking his head at her in disbelief, “I can’t believe my sister is such a geek. Mom should’ve never bought you that box set of Nancy Drew books ‘cause I think that’s when the nerdiness began. Although, I still say you were so obsessed with them because you had a huge crush on Nancy.”

“Shut up,” Lexa practically growls into the phone, “I didn’t have a crush on her. I just thought she was intelligent, courageous, pretty and…alright, maybe I should have realized a bit sooner that I was a lesbian.” A guy is passing Lexa at that moment and turns to her with a dopey grin on his face. She glares, daring him to make some asinine comment. His smile drops instantly at the murderous look as he turns forward and quickly walks away. Her lips curl up a bit in satisfaction at terrifying a guy twice her size. “I thought you promised last summer to stop teasing me about this.”

Lexa reaches the quad outside Ground Hall and spots a vacant bench ahead. She places her backpack on the ground then sits down, not wanting to disrupt Raven, who is probably back in their room taking her usually Friday afternoon nap. She traces her finger absentmindedly over the infinity sign on her inner left wrist as Lincoln tells her a story about how one of his sleazy teammates got rejected at the bar they went to over the weekend. She thinks about the night they got the matching tattoos-Lincoln’s above his right ankle bone, on the outside of his leg, because he said that was a more badass place than the wrist. It was their last act of rebellion the summer before he left for college. They had gone to the pier near their house after and bought ice cream cones before sitting at the end, their feet dangling over the water in comfortable silence. She remembers Lincoln laughing quietly when the wind kept blowing her hair around, her efforts to tie it back useless, and the way the salty breeze blowing off the water mixed with the sweetness of the ice cream in her mouth.

“-and then the girl just tossed the drink he brought over in his face. It was awesome, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him more stunned.” Lincoln waits for Lexa to laugh, but when he’s met with silence, he continues, “You okay, little sis?”

Lexa sighs before mumbling a quiet “yeah”. Lincoln waits patiently, knowing Lexa will feel the need to fill the silence, “I just…I miss you Linc. I wish I could be there this weekend to celebrate Charlotte’s birthday with everyone.”

"I miss you too, Lex. And Charlotte knows how much you love her. We all know you want to be there.”

“I know, but it’s the first big family event I’ve missed since I started college. And I can’t help but realize how eventually this will be the standard. That there will be many birthdays and holidays we’ll miss because we have our own lives and careers and…,” Lexa draws her feet up on the bench and hugs her legs, “I don’t want Mom and the kids thinking they aren’t important to me, that I’ve just moved on and left them behind.”

“Lex,” Lincoln says with a soft voice, “none of us are ever going to think that.” He’s quiet for a second, like he’s trying to carefully decide what to say next. “You know that’ll never happen, on both ends, right? We’re always going to be in each others’ lives. Just because there might be a little more distance between us doesn’t mean we won’t be as close.”

And Lexa knows that, she _knows_ how she feels might be irrational, knows how incredibly lucky she is to have the family she does. That what she feels is more a phantom pain- an illusion, a feeling of loss for something that’s no longer a part of her. And never was, really. She was too young when her parents gave her up to remember who they were or what they were like. She’s safe and happy and so, so loved. Her mom has always treated her the same as Lincoln, given all of her kids the same attention and love. So she knows it isn’t logical to think that will ever end. But the little girl who jumped from foster home to foster home is still a part of her, no matter how grown up she looks and feels- even if she’s found a forever family, she still worries she’ll lose them one day. “I know, Linc. I just miss everyone. And I’m jealous you get to spend all afternoon with them tomorrow.”

Lincoln chuckles at Lexa’s disgruntled tone, “Yeah, I know, but I can’t help I’m the favorite sibling. All kidding aside, we’re going to Facetime you at dinner, so make sure you aren’t at a wild party, okay? I don’t think Mom would appreciate you showing the kids what college is really like just yet.”

Lexa laughs at that, “You’re the one who accidentally sent Connor a snapchat of you doing a keg stand last year!”

“Oh, shit, you’re right. I kind of forgot about that. So what’d you get Charlotte? She said your gift came yesterday, but Mom is making her wait to open it tomorrow."

Lexa puts her legs back down on the ground, resettling herself on the bench, “I got her a new hiking backpack and one of those multi-tools that have pliers, scissors, screwdrivers and all that. Mom said her wilderness group is going camping in two weeks so I figured it’d be a good gift. What did you end up getting her?”

“I got her a hunting knife. A really nice one- it’s got these really intricate carvings on the handle that I think are Celtic symbols or something.”

“Lincoln!” Lexa tries to chastise him, but her laughter takes away from it, “Mom will be so furious with you.”

Lincoln seems unfazed by the warning, “Why? Charlotte’s been stealing Myles’ and Conner’s for years so I thought it was time she had her own. The boys have already taught her how to use them so it’s not like she’ll hurt herself.”

Lexa hums in agreement, knowing the boys and their mom won’t let Charlotte use the knife unsupervised until they’re sure she can be trusted to handle it properly.

She hears some muffled talking on Lincoln’s end, “Hey, Lex? I’ve got to go to practice. Nick’s threatening to leave without me and he’s my ride. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, text me after your game and tell me how it went please. And let me know what time you guys want to Facetime. I love you, Linc.”

“Love you too, Lex. Bye little sis,” Lincoln says and then hangs up.

Lexa watches the call disconnect on her screen before pulling up her music. She decides to stay outside a while longer, wanting to be alone for a bit.

* * *

 

Clarke is walking out of Sky Hall, on her way to grab a coffee, when she glances up and sees Lexa sitting on the bench between their buildings. At least, she thinks it's Lexa. She's not close enough to know for sure- the girl’s curly, brown hair is blocking her face a bit, but something about her posture makes Clarke pretty certain. She heads toward the bench, her mission for caffeine momentarily forgotten. As she approaches the bench, Lexa pushes her hair out of her face, giving Clarke a better view of her profile. It's definitely Lexa. Clarke is struck by how beautiful she is, the afternoon sun highlighting her features much better the harsh library lights had the other night. Clarke's fingers twitch as she feels a familiar itch to sketch.

She’s almost reached Lexa and is about to call out to her when Lexa turns her head in her direction. “Clarke?” Lexa calls out in surprise as she pulls her earbuds out.

Clarke smiles, pleased that Lexa remembers her. “Hey, Lexa! How’s it going?”

Lexa fidgets with her headphones before placing them on the bench next to her phone. “It’s..going. How has your week been?”

Clarke notices the deflection, but rolls with it, “It’s been pretty crazy. I basically pulled an all-nighter last night and still haven’t recovered.”

Lexa gives a slight nod, “I understand- it always takes me a few days to recover from those myself.”

Clarke grins at her, “Same. I don’t know what you’re up to, but I was about to head the Sunrise Café for some coffee. Would you, um, do you want to join me? I’d love the company, but if you’re busy or something it’s cool.”

Lexa tilts her head, considering the offer, “That actually sounds perfect. I could use some caffeine before starting my lit paper. Would you mind if I dropped my bag off in my room before we head out?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Clarke replies as Lexa picks up her phone, headphones, and backpack before leading them to the nearby entrance to Ground Hall. Lexa swipes her card across the reader and grabs the door before Clarke has a chance to, holding it open for the other girl. Clarke gives her a gentle smile and a quiet _thank you_ as she passes by.

She follows Lexa up the staircase to the second floor, a comfortable silence falling over the pair until they reach room 206. Lexa unlocks the door and sticks her head in for a second before turning to Clarke, “My roommate’s taking a nap- do you mind waiting out here for a minute?”

“Not a problem,” Clarke responds cheerfully, though she’s a little disappointed she won’t get to see what Lexa’s room looks like.

She walks down the hallway as Lexa enters her room, wandering into a study lounge that’s seen better days. Her eyes roam around the room, taking in the tattered, green couch and the scuffed up coffee table. She lingers on a printed copy of an abstract painting that looks vaguely familiar and tries to place where she’s seen it before. She’s still staring at it when Lexa returns and finds Clexa standing in the middle of the lounge. Before she can ask the other girl what has her attention, Clarke lets out a tiny gasp of realization. “Oh my god. That’s what it was from!” Clarke exclaims as she giggles.

Lexa follows her gaze to the painting, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Is this a famous painting? I always thought the school bought cheap artwork for the study lounges,” Lexa, mistaking Clarke’s recognition as an indication of the painting’s popularity.

Clarke lets out a laugh, “No, it’s not famous or anything. I just couldn’t remember why it looked so familiar and then I realized it’s because I definitely made out with a guy in here last year.”

Lexa looks slightly surprised, maybe by Clarke’s open admission, but recovers quickly and turns back to her. She raises one eyebrow as the left corner of her lip twitches upward, “I certainly hope it was worth it. I know for a fact the comfort level of that couch leaves a lot to be desired.”

Clarke scoffs, “Not exactly. There was a reason I was paying attention to the art around me instead of the guy- he used way too much tongue. I felt like I was making out with a St. Bernard. I was actually grateful his roommate sexiled him, and even more grateful we were interrupted by a group of people coming back from a party. I can’t even remember his name, to be honest with you.”

Lexa grins, “So I should be expecting a wedding announcement in the paper soon, then?”

Clarke laughs again, “Okay, Miss Sarcasm, can we go get those coffees now?”

Lexa sweeps her arm toward the door, “After you.”

The pair head out of Ground Hall and slowly make the trek across campus, enjoying the fall weather and the small talk they make as they go. They eventually reach the café, a quaint building just off campus with a large window front advertising its name. “Why don’t you grab a table while I get the drinks?” Clarke asks Lexa as she opens the door for the two of them and sees how packed the café is. “What would you like? My treat,” she continues before Lexa can argue.

“Just a house coffee, thank you,” Lexa points to a small table by the window, “Is that table alright with you?” After Clarke nods, Lexa walks over to claim their spots while Clarke gets in line to place their orders.

A few minutes later, Clarke heads over to the table where Lexa is typing on her phone. She can’t help but notice that the relaxed expression the other girl was just wearing has been replaced with a frown and wonders who she’s texting. She places one of the mugs down in front of Lexa and slides into the chair opposite her. Lexa looks up and offers her a closed lipped smile before setting her phone down. She reaches for the cream and sugar in the middle of table and Clarke watches (equal parts amused and horrified) as Lexa adds heaps of sugar to her coffee that are followed by enough cream to turn the dark liquid beige.

Lexa looks up to see Clarke staring and blushes a little. “I can’t drink it any other way. The bitterness is too off-putting,” she explains as she pushes the sugar and cream to Clarke’s side of the table. Clarke just raises an eyebrow, adding two small spoons of sugar to her own coffee. Lexa’s phone dings again, a new message flashing on the screen. She sighs as she read the message, but doesn’t move to type a reply.

“Is everything okay?” Clarke asks, her hands wrapping around her mug as she lifts it to her mouth.

Lexa nods as she stirs her drink, “Yes, my mom is just texting me about tomorrow. It’s my little sister’s birthday and the whole family is going to be together, but I couldn’t make it home this year for it.”

Clarke gives her a sympathetic smile and reaches her hand across the table to rest it on Lexa’s forearm, “That sucks. I don’t have any siblings, so I don’t know exactly what it’s like, but I do know how important family is.” Lexa squirms a little underneath Clarke’s touch, but doesn’t pull away. Clarke notices, though, and quickly brings her hand back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Lexa shakes her head, “No, it’s fine. I’m just, uh, sometimes weird about people touching me. I promise it’s not you, it’s me.”

“Wow, we haven’t even been on a date and I’m already getting that line?” Clarke winks so Lexa knows she isn’t offended. Lexa returns the gesture with a slight smile. “So how old is your sister turning?”

“Charlotte’s turning 12, but if you ask her she’d most likely say she’s 15. She’s always trying to act older than she is.” Lexa’s smile has grown as she talks, her love for her little sister obvious.

Clarke finds herself mirroring Lexa's smile, “She sounds awesome. Do you have any pictures of her?”

Lexa moves her chair so she’s lined up with the edge of the table and Clarke copies her, the phone now situated between the two of them so they can both easily see the screen. Lexa pulls up her photo album, scrolling quickly through until she finds a picture of the whole family from the summer, right before Lincoln and Lexa had left to go back to school. She moves the phone sideways so the image is zoomed in more and points to a young girl at the forefront, her dirty blonde hair pulled into two French braids and a huge grin on her face. “This is Charlotte.”

“Oh my god, she is so cute! Clarke gushes as she moves her face a little closer to the screen, “I bet she could get away with murder, right?”

Lexa laughs, “Honestly, yes, she probably could. She has us all wrapped around her finger. This is my older brother, Lincoln,” Lexa says, pointing at a tall, muscular guy who an arm wrapped loosely around Lexa’s shoulders. “And this is Conner,” Lexa puts her finger next to a teenage boy wearing a Patriots t-shirt and a bored expression, “He’s a typical 16 year old boy, but is really protective of his friends- he just thinks he’s too cool for his family right now.”

“And the other boy?” Clarke asks.

“That’s Myles. He’s basically a puppy and the fact that he refuses to get his hair cut reinforces the comparison. And this,” pointing to the older woman in the picture, “is our mom, Indra.”

“You guys looks so happy.” The pair look at the picture in silence for a moment, “So…not to be rude, but I’m assuming you’re adopted then?” Clarke asks hesitantly, not sure if Lexa will be bothered by her bluntness.

“Yes, Lincoln is the only biological child. When Lincoln’s dad died unexpectedly, it was really difficult for them. Indra and Gus were both police officers in the drug unit- he was killed when a bust went wrong. Indra switched from the drug unit to the child protection unit and began to work closely with child services. The more she saw the fostering system, the more she realized how much she wanted to help. She started fostering me when I was five- about a year after Gus passed away- and I’m not sure if she was consciously thinking of adopting me when I first got there, but seven months later she started getting the paperwork in order. I guess having me around helped, plus Lincoln and I were immediately best friends. Conner, Myles, and then Charlotte all came after.” Lexa looks down at her phone, a soft smile playing at her lips, “They’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Clarke really wants to reach out to Lexa, but isn’t sure the other girl will respond well given how uncomfortable she seemed to Clarke’s touch earlier. She fidgets with her hands a bit before grabbing her mug to keep herself from placing her hand on Lexa’s arm again. “That has to be hard, being away from them. How far away is home?”

“It’s about four and a half hours from here. I’m from Polis, Connecticut,” Clarke stares at her blankly, not recognizing the city, “It’s near New Haven,” Lexa elaborates.

“Now that, I’ve heard of. I actually tried to make my mom take me on a college visit to Yale- she went to Harvard for med school and it would’ve killed her to step foot on their campus, let alone have her daughter go there. But after my visit to Harvard, she agreed with me that Ivy League was not the way to go.”

Lexa offers her a full smile, “Was it that awful?”

Clexa grimaces, “Let’s just say I’m a little too free-spirited for a place like that.”

Lexa tilts her head and studies Clarke, “I could see that being the case. Are you from Boston then?”

Clarke shakes her head, “Philadelphia actually. My mom did her residency there and my parents fell in love with the city, so I’ve lived there all my life.”

“That must be nice; being in one place your whole life, I mean.”

Clarke nods, “Yeah, I guess it could have been boring, but luckily Philly is a cool city. There’s so much history and the food is incredible and oh my god, the street art. There’s this amazing mural right down the block from my old high school that must have taken at least a month for the artist to finish and... “

Lexa settles back in her chair, a warmth coming over her that has little to do with the coffee she’s drinking and more to do with the blonde sitting across from her. Her lips curl around her mug as she continues listening to Clarke’s story, her plans to work on her paper pushed to the back of her mind. The pair end up staying at the cafe talking until 6, when Clarke gets a text from Octavia demanding she join her roommate for dinner. They part ways with shy smiles and soft goodbyes, both hoping to see the other again soon.

 


	4. no matter what you do, I will be with you

Saturday night finds Lexa walking to Anya’s apartment, the two having planned to make dinner earlier that week. She hasn’t gotten to see as much of the senior this semester, with how busy she is working on the paper and her classes- and Anya has an internship working for a law firm a few  afternoons and the weekends. But they try to get together for a dinner or lunch at least once a week, and most weeks it’s one of the highlights for Lexa; today is no exception.

Lexa reaches Anya’s building and heads up to the fifth floor. She remembers how much of a pain in the ass it was helping Anya move in August, since there was no elevator. Even worse was the fact that the air conditioner was broken, so once they had brought everything up the only relief from the heat they had were the popsicles Anya’s roommate, Jamie, had bought. The two of them had collapsed on the worn-out leather couch, Jamie opting to spread out on the hardwood floor which she claimed was cooler anyway (“Heat rises, it’s a fucking scientific fact.”). Lexa had vowed to never, ever help them move again, saying they would need to hire someone when they move out. Anya had just laughed, knowing Lexa would be by her side packing up things in May.

Lexa gets to apartment 5D and is about to knock on the door when it suddenly opens. Jamie brushes against Lexa as she walks by, “Oh, hey, Lexa! How are you?”

Lexa gives the senior softball player a smile, “I’m doing well. And you?”

Jamie leans against the wall in the hallway by the doorframe. “Can’t complain too much. I’m grabbing dinner with one of the freshman players- she offered to let me mooch off her meal swipes and I can’t say no to free food. Are you going to be hanging out here later?”

Lexa shrugs, “I’m not sure, Anya and I hadn’t really talked about what we’d be doing after dinner, but most likely we’ll be here.”

Jamie grins, “Awesome. I was planning on having a chill night in, maybe drink a little wine and play some video games or something. I’ll pick up a bottle of that red you like on my way back.”

Lexa gives her a slight nod, “That sounds great, thank you.”

Jamie pushes off the wall and shoots Lexa a wink, “Anything for my favorite sophomore.” Lexa shakes her head, used to the older girl’s flirtiness. She’s been friends with Jamie long enough to know she is painfully awkward and has no game around people she is _actually_ interested in. The other girl heads toward the stairs, tossing a “later” over her shoulder as she goes. Lexa walks into the apartment, calling out Anya’s name as she closes the door to let her know she’s here.

“In the kitchen, Lex!”

Lexa walks down the short hallway that leads into the kitchen and places the bag of groceries she brought on the counter. Anya’s chopping onions and peppers, already having started prepping for their tacos. She points her knife at the bag, “Did you bring the avocados and garlic?”

Lexa rolls her eyes, “Yes, Anya, I’m perfectly capable of following instructions. Or did you think I had somehow forgotten your request in the twenty minutes since you texted me?”

Anya grins, “Yeah, I did train you well in taking orders, didn’t I?” Lexa shoves her shoulder and pulls out another cutting board. The two quickly fall into a rhythm, well-practiced in preparing meals together. Their quiet chatter fills the kitchen as they finish up the vegetables and move onto cooking the ground turkey, the aroma of sautéed onions and garlic spreading throughout the apartment.

An hour later, the two of them are sitting on the couch, lazily flipping through TV channels to find something to watch. Lexa’s phone dings to alert her of a new text and she sits up to grab it off the coffee table. It’s from Lincoln- he wants to know if she can Facetime with the family.

“Could you turn the volume down? Lincoln wants to Facetime,” she asks Anya as she quickly types a response. Anya puts the TV on mute, then stands and heads to the kitchen to refill their waters. A few seconds later, Lexa is answering a Facetime request and her phone screen fills with Lincoln’s face.

“Hey, little sis!”

“Hi, Linc! Did you win your game?” Lexa asks as she settles against the back of the couch.

“Yeah, we obliterated the other team,” Lincoln tells her, a proud smile forming across his face.

“Lincoln destroyed them! He ran for like four touchdowns!” Lexa hears Myles yelling in the background. Lincoln chuckles before correcting him, saying he only scored two. He slowly pans the phone around the table so everyone can see Lexa, all of them calling out greetings- except for Conner, who is wearing a bored expression and just nods stoically. Lincoln is handing the phone over to Indra when Anya walks back in the living room. The older girl places their glasses back on the coffee table before plopping down on the couch right next to Lexa.

“Hey, Mama T!” she says as she shoves her face into the phone, grinning wildly.

Indra laughs at Anya’s exuberance, “Hello, Anya. How’s the internship going?”

Anya reaches for her water, taking a sip before answering, “It’s going well. They mainly have me filing paperwork and doing research for the clerks because that’s typical bitch work for interns, but one of the associates has taken me under her wing and had me shadow her a few days this week, so that’s been nice.”

Indra smiles at the senior, “You’re still planning on attending law school next year, then?”

Anya nods, “That’s the plan. Hopefully some school will be smart enough to let my fine self in.”

Indra laughs at her cockiness, knowing the girl is actually insanely compassionate and fiercely loving, at least with those she deems worthy. Anya has been a staple in the Trikru home since middle school, when Lincoln brought her over after school one day. She had apparently beaten up a guy twice her size (and two years older) who was bullying a sixth grader, and Lincoln had been a little in awe of her ever since. Indra has loved watching her grow up and is grateful she’s at Arkadia with Lexa. She smiles warmly at Anya, “I’m sure you’ll have several schools that will realize your brilliance.” Indra shifts her attention to Lexa, “How are classes, Alexandria?” Her use of Lexa’s full name causes Anya to smirk. Indra’s the only person Lexa lets get away with using her given name.

Lexa launches into a detailed overview of her lessons from this week and Anya’s focus falls on the silent TV. Lexa finishes up and Indra passes the phone to Charlotte, who is sitting beside her and has been impatiently trying to pull the phone away from Indra.

“Lexa!” she exclaims, “Wait ‘til you see all my awesome presents!”

Lexa smiles fondly at the blonde girl whose hair is pulled back into her usual French braid. “Well, what are you waiting for, birthday girl? Go ahead and show me the loot.” Charlotte grabs the bags next to her and starts pulling items out one-by-one, animatedly telling Lexa details on each of them, her brown eyes wide and bright with excitement.

“Hey, I know it’s your birthday, but stop hogging the phone! I wanna talk to her, too.” Myles complains, his voice cracking a bit. That’s been happening a lot since he turned thirteen a few months ago. Lexa hears Indra telling her to hand the phone to her brother and Charlotte listens, though she grumbles as she does it. Myles quickly snatches the phone and holds it near his face, “Hey, Lexa! How’s college? Have you been to any cool parties yet?” He sweeps his hair out of his eyes with his free hand as he talks, the brown locks in desperate need of a trim.

Lexa shakes her head in amusement, “You know college isn’t all fun and games, right Myles? Don’t believe everything you seen in the movies- or what Lincoln tells you.”

Anya cuts in, “Yeah, Myles, don’t listen to anything Lincoln tells you; he’s very unreliable.”

“Hey!” Lexa hears Lincoln cry in objection, “I’m the most reliable guy you know!”

Anya scoffs, “Yeah, sure. Tell me again why I missed out on that carburetor that Frank was holding for me at the salvage yard because _someone_ said he’d ‘definitely be able to pick it up, no problem’ while I was at work?”

The phone swings around to show Lincoln’s face, “You got one like two weeks later, a better one even! Which I paid for, by the way, and we worked on just your bike for a month, so I thought we’d left that in the past.”

Anya smirks, the action accentuating her striking cheekbones, “I forgive, but never forget- a life lesson all would be wise to remember. Speaking of bikes, how’s your baby running?”

Lincoln grins excitedly, “Perfectly, as usual. I’m taking Charlotte on a birthday ride when we get back to campus.” He looks up as there’s some commotion off screen, “Hey guys, our food’s here. Have fun hanging out tonight, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Lexa snorts, “That doesn’t exactly limit our list of possible activities, Linc.”

“I know, that’s the point, little sis,” Lincoln says as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.  

Lexa and Anya both laugh at his goofiness and say their goodbyes. Lexa ends the call and places her phone on the coffee table as she reaches for her water. Anya watches her movements, looking for any indication that the other girl is upset. She knows how hard being away from her family is on Lexa, and waits for the clenching jaw or tightening of her shoulders that usually happen when Lexa is holding her emotions at bay. When Lexa stays relaxed, Anya breaks the silence that has settled over them. “Okay, what gives?”

Lexa just raises her eyebrow as she sips her water. “What do you mean?” she asks once she’s done drinking.

Anya shrugs, “You’re just usually a little tense and bummed after those family calls. Just wondered why you seem okay after today’s is all.”

Lexa looks down and plays with her fingers, “I don’t know. I suppose it might be because I talked with a, uh, friend yesterday about how difficult it is being away from family and, I don’t know, it sort of helped me miss them less?”

Anya stares at Lexa for a moment before asking, “Does this friend have a name? Or is this like some super secret internet friend? Did Indra not have the stranger danger talk with you before you left home to conquer the world?”

Lexa folds her arms across her chest as annoyance crosses over her face, “Shut up. And yes, she has a name. It’s Clarke. She goes to school here.”

Anya pushes Lexa for more information, “And how did you meet this mysterious Clarke?” It’s not every day that Lexa opens up about personal things, even with Raven and her, so she’s intrigued by who managed to get Lexa to talk about her family. The fact that Lexa doesn’t seem to want to talk about her makes Anya even more interested.

Lexa sighs, knowing Anya will just keep teasing her if she doesn’t give her something, “She sat at my table in the library, we studied together for a bit, then ran into each other on campus yesterday and grabbed a coffee. End of story.”

The fact that Lexa shared her study table with a complete stranger definitely has her wondering who this girl is. Lexa gets pissed sometimes when Raven and Anya join her, though to be fair the two of them usually don’t know how to stay quiet for longer than 5 minutes when they’re around each other and make it hard to study. Anya raises her hands up in surrender, recognizing the glare Lexa is currently sending her way means this particular conversation is over.

Luckily, Jamie chooses that moment to burst through the apartment door, her arms weighed down by bags full of snacks and liquor from the store down the street. “Who's ready to get tipsy and make some guys whine on COD about getting their asses handed to them by a couple of sexy girls?” she calls out as she walks to the kitchen to drop off her haul. Anya rolls her eyes at her ridiculous roommate while Lexa just chuckles and stands up to set up the Xbox. Jamie walks into the room a few seconds later with three wine glasses and a wine bottle expertly balanced in her hands. “Who knew three years of waitressing in high school would pay off with skills like this?” she boasts as she sets the glasses on the coffee table before pouring wine into all of them. She sighs dramatically as she plops down beside Anya, being carefully not to spill any liquid from her glass,“If only my mother could see me putting those ‘character building’ years to good use right now.”

Anya laughs and shoves her roommate, “Yeah, I’m sure your very conservative, very religious mother would just love to know you’re using your impressive carrying skills to serve alcohol to an underaged girl.”

Jamie shrugs as she lifts her feet up to prop them in Anya’s lap, stretching out against the arm of the couch, “You’re probably right, but hey! You finally admitted I have an impressive skill! Only took three and a half years to give me a compliment, but that right there is proof miracles can happen.”  

  
Anya rolls her eyes again as she rests a hand on Jamie’s shin before reaching for her own wine glass. Lexa finishes setting up the game and hands Anya and Jamie their controllers before sitting down on the rug in front of the coffee table. Loud curses and shouts soon fill the apartment, brought on by the alcohol and the fierce competitive nature of the three friends.

* * *

It’s late on Sunday afternoon when Clarke’s phone starts ringing. She lets out a loud sigh before sitting up in her bed, where she had been trying to decide whether she had done enough homework to reward herself with a nap. Octavia looks up from her desk and watches as Clarke reaches to grab her phone from the foot of the bed. She recognizes the ringtone and knows it’s Abby calling; she holds her breath as she waits to see if Clarke will actually answer the call. Clarke bites her lip as she stares at her screen, her lips pursing in a thin line when she chooses to tap the green button.

“Hello?” Octavia shakes her head at how her best friend manages to make one word hold so much contempt.

“Yes, mom, I'm alive. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” It’s quiet for a moment as Clarke listens to her mom speak, “My week’s been fine…I’m not being vague, I’m giving you an update...well, maybe I'd answer or call you more if you hadn't left dad for your damn boss and ruined our family.” Octavia obviously can't hear Abby’s side of the call, but she just knows the silence is deafening.

Clarke sighs again and runs her hand through her hair. She murmurs an apology before going quiet once more. Octavia tunes the conversation out a bit when Clarke starts giving a brief run through of her classes, only returning her attention to the blonde when she hears Clarke say goodbye to her mom a few minutes later. She stands up and pivots before settling back down, now facing Clarke with her legs straddling the back of her chair. Clarke is staring at her phone, gnawing at her lips with downcast eyes and a guilty look on her face. She glances up and sees Octavia staring at her. Octavia doesn't say anything, just slightly raises an eyebrow.

Clarke groans, “I know, O, I know. I shouldn't be so harsh with my mom but I just can't stand that she keeps acting like everything's okay when it isn't.”

Octavia places her arms over the back of her chair, then rests her chin on top of them. “Maybe you should try and cut her a little slack? I mean, I know she hurt you and your dad, but it has been over a year since your parents’ divorce, Clarke. You know you’re going to forgive her eventually.”

Clarke, “Yeah, but can’t I make her suffer and work for it a little while longer? I mean, her and Kane dropped the engagement bomb on me right before I headed back here. Does she think I’m just going to be fine with her getting re-married next year? After she just drove Dad away and kicked him out without even really trying to work things out?”

Octavia sighs, having heard all of Clarke’s reasons for being furious with Abby. “I’m not saying you have to give your mom and Kane your blessing or be, like, super excited when you talk with her, but maybe try for polite next time? I mean, you were civil to her most of last year, even if you were a little distant. The direct, snarky anger is more my thing, not yours.”

Clarke flings herself back down on her bed, “Yeah, I guess I can try to do that. I just get so frustrated whenever she calls and wants to talk about school and work like this is all normal. I don’t know, I guess the engagement just kind of…made me snap.”  

Octavia gives her a sad smile, “I know things are fucked up, but they’re eventually going to settle down. All I’m saying is that you could help speed that along if you wanted to.” With that, Octavia swings herself back around to face her computer screen again.

Octavia doesn’t bother turning around, but of course still tosses Clarke a smart ass comment.“Someone’s popular today.”

"It’s my dad, you asshat.” She answers her phone as she throws a pencil at Octavia, which falls short. She's glad O isn't facing her to see her commit yet another athletic failure.

“Hi, Jake!” Octavia yells toward the phone, even though she’s only two feet from Clarke.

Jake chuckles before replying, “Tell my other daughter I say hello.”

Clarke passes along the message and then asks her dad, “Are you missing me extra this week or something? We just talked, like, Thursday night.”

Her dad lets out an exaggerated gasp, “I’m offended, kid! We talked Wednesday night- you can’t even remember talking to your old man? What’s college doing to you?”

Clarke rolls her eyes even though her dad can’t see her. “It’s making me so busy I occasionally forget the days. But you clearly called for a reason- what’s up?”

Jake sighs, “Your mom texted me. She said you ignored her calls all week and when you finally picked up today, you were short with her. Care to share with the class why you’re still putting your mom through this?”

Clarke lets out a bark of laughter, “Wow, I can’t believe she told you that. I was busy every other time she called, okay?”

Jake calls Clarke out, not buying that line for a second, “C’mon, Clarke, you and I both know that’s not completely true.”

Clarke groans, “Fine, I just didn’t want to talk to her. I haven’t wanted to talk to her in exactly fourteen months.”

“You get that stubborn streak from your mother, you know?” Jake says as he reluctantly laughs at his daughter’s ability to hold a grudge.

Clarke feels a sharp pain in her chest at the familiar words, almost hoping her dad will finish the quote she heard so often growing up. The words “it’s one of the many things I love about both of you” used to follow and their absence just serves as another reminder of how many things have changed in the past year. “Yeah, I know,” she murmurs into the phone.

Jake hears the pain in her voice, “Baby, I know you’re still upset with your mom. But you can’t push her away forever. You need her and she needs you. Your mom loves you, Clarke.”

“I know dad. I just...I need more time. I’ll try and be better when she calls though.”

Jake hums into the phone, “Thanks, that’s all I’m asking for. Now, go study. I’m not paying for you to go to college just to sit around talking to me all day.”

Clarke laughs, “Yeah, yeah. I love you, dad.”

Jake’s soft voice replies with his usual goodbye, “Love you, too, kid. To the moon and back.”

Clarke hangs up and flips her phone on silent, wanting to shut out the world for a little while after those calls. She glances up when Octavia lets out an “Oh, shit!” and starts frantically packing up her things. Clarke checks her phone’s clock and sees Octavia is running late to make it to the newspaper.

“Is your article finished?” she asks Octavia as she’s putting on her tennis shoes.

“Almost. The other team kept good play-by-plays and stats online, so that helped a lot. I’m waiting on an email from our field hockey coach to try and get a phone interview. I fucking hate doing email interviews because it’s not very organic and I think it comes through as kind of lifeless.”

Clarke hums in agreement, “That makes sense. I hope the coach emails you back soon. I know how the Commander can get when you don’t have the articles in on time.”

Octavia laughs, “Yeah, but she also agrees that phone interviews are better. So that might be the one excuse that makes it being late okay. She’s a little more lenient on that issue than the Dictator was.” She finishes packing her bag and Clarke gives her a little wave goodbye as she heads toward the door. Clarke decides she’s too wound up for a nap now and picks up the textbook she had tossed at the foot of her bed right before her mom called to continue studying.

Octavia glances back as her hand wraps around the door handle and pauses on her way out. “Hey Clarke?” Clarke hums without looking up from her book, so Octavia continues, “just….think about what I said okay? We all just want you to be happy, and as much as your mom drives you nuts, you two are always so much happier when you’re getting along.” Octavia opens the door and leaves Clarke alone with her thoughts, parts of the earlier conversations swirling around in her mind.

* * *

A few hours later find Octavia in the newsroom frantically typing to finish up her article. The field hockey coach had finally emailed her back about an hour ago- apparently the cell service on their drive back was really spotty and between that and packing the bus and getting dinner, he’d only just seen her email. She’d done phone interviews with him and two players, and actually had a pretty decent angle to the article. It didn’t hurt that the team beat the number 3 ranked team in the nation, but having your best senior player also beat the school record for most career goals really added a nice touch. She writes out the last sentence and leans back in her chair, her arms extending over her head as she stretches.

Her neck cracks when she tilts it to the side, a sign she’d been bent over her keyboard way too long. She emails the finished article to Miller for his final editing and pulls up the newspaper’s website, noting that the work her and Monty did earlier in the week fixed the glitches. Octavia quickly looks through the articles she’s already prepared to upload, making sure the headlines and the bylines are correct. When she sees they are, she gives a satisfied nod before glancing at the clock in the corner of the screen, which reads 8:45 p.m. She realizes she’s completely skipped dinner and is about to yell across the room to Miller that she’s going on a food run when a covered box with a logo reading _Moe’s Diner_ appears under her nose. Octavia immediately lifts the lid and inhales the aroma drifting off the food, her eyes drifting closed at the amazing smell. “I love you,” she proclaims as her eyes open to find Clarke standing beside her desk.

Clarks grins down at her, “Should I tell all the guys all they have to do to win your heart is bring you a double BBQ bacon cheeseburger from Moe’s then?”

Octavia mumbles around the huge bite she’s just taken, “Sure, if the end result is more burgers.”

Clarke laughs at her roommate, “I didn’t understand any of that,” she says as she wipes a napkin across O’s cheek to remove a glob of barbecue sauce. Octavia grins at Clarke with her mouth still full which causes Clarke to wrinkle her nose, “You’re a pig” she jokes as she shoves O’s shoulder.

Octavia swallows the rest of the bite and says, “Yeah, but you still love me!” as she brings the burger back up to her mouth, a happy moan rumbling in her throat as she takes another bite.

Clarke snags a fry from the pile and tosses it in her mouth. When she reaches for another one, Octavia playfully slaps her hand. “Hey! I bought this food, I think I’m allowed to eat some of the damn fries.”

“You may have bought it, but it’s on my desk and possession is nine-tenths of the law, so it’s all mine now,” she says even as she moves the box closer to edge of the desk Clarke is now resting her hip against. “Thanks for bringing me food. Have I mentioned how amazing you are lately?”

Clarke grabs another fry, “Not to my face, but I appreciate the compliment.” She slides a disposable coffee cup towards Octavia. “Here, I got you a coffee, too. Figured it was probably going to be a late night for both of us.”

Octavia gives her a warm smile, “Thanks, babe. Where are you headed to?”

Clarke takes a sip from her own coffee before she replies, “The science building to work on a genetics lab report with my group. It shouldn’t take too long, but Maya and I seem to be the only two who can actually focus and get work done half the time, so who knows. How’s the issue coming along?”

Octavia starts to give her a recap of the night so far while Clarke scans the website layout, briefly skimming over the articles. She’s making mental notes on which ones to read later when she hears a surprised voice call out “Clarke?”

Clarke glances up, stunned to see Lexa heading her way, “Lexa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! sorry it's been so long since I've updated. this chapter was really hard to write for whatever reason and I didn't want to just force it. I'm still not 100% pleased with the end result, but I don't think it's going to get any better than it is lol just one of those chapters I guess. I hope you enjoyed it though!
> 
> oh, and the abby/clarke drama may seem a little vague right now, but that's on purpose. I didn't want to throw a shit ton of background for clarke's family issues at you at once, so all that will become clearer as the story progresses. okay, enough with the rambling. thanks for reading!


	5. I get a feeling when you're near me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven's hungover, Clarke is thirsty af, Lexa is smitten, and Octavia is just confused.

Lexa wakes up early on Sunday, nursing a slight hangover from the wine night with Anya and Jamie. She drinks a bottle of water as she gets ready, careful not to wake Raven, who came home even later than Lexa did the night before. Lexa isn’t sure whether her roommate had a late night studying or partying, but the amount of stumbling Raven did when she came in makes her think it was the latter. She quickly changes into her running clothes and laces up her sneakers, then puts a water bottle and her stash of ibuprofen beside Raven’s bed. Satisfied Raven won’t die while she’s working out, Lexa quietly leaves the room after grabbing her keys, phone, and headphones. She stretches a bit once she’s outside the dorm and then hooks her phone up to her arm band, plugging her headphones in and placing the buds in her ears.

It’s a little chilly this morning and Lexa is glad she opted to wear her leggings and a pullover instead of just shorts and a t-shirt. She sets a steady, but quick pace as she makes her way around campus, enjoying the quiet air. Lexa lives for mornings like this, when the rest of the students are still curled up in bed- or just heading to it in some of their cases. She passes the science building, an imposing brick structure with white pillars framing the front entrance, before crossing the street. Her long strides soon have her passing the music building where she turns to watch her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows that make up this side of the building. She makes a mental note to stop by soon to play piano. She hasn’t had much of an opportunity to since the semester started, but it’s one of her favorite stress relievers.

A few minutes later and she’s finally to the entrance for the nature park. This is her favorite part of campus. Something about the way the sunbeams break through the branches, the stillness of the air, and the crunch of leaves beneath her feet as she pounds into the dirt path make her feel at ease. Lexa has always loved the woods. When she was a kid, she used to find a new reading spot under a tree a day or two after arriving at a new foster house. Lexa had done this when Indra took her in, but after three days of Lincoln bugging her to come explore the forest, she found how much she enjoyed running through the trees. She loses herself in the rhythm and the peacefulness of the woods.

By the time she's circled the nature park and is back at the entrance, it feels like no time has passed. Lexa does her usual cool down routine- jog back to the music building, then walk the rest of the way to her dorm, where she does some light stretching on the grass before making her inside. Lexa quietly opens their dorm room, noticing Raven is still asleep as she walks in and gathers items for her shower. She undresses and wraps her towel around her body, then grabs her shower caddy and slips into a pair of flip flops. Lexa takes her time showering, enjoying the lukewarm water running over her tense muscles. When she finally finishes and returns to their room, Raven is sitting up and chugging the water Lexa had left beside her bed. She groans once she's finished and lays back down, one arm flung over her face. “Remind me to never drink Jasper and Monty’s homemade moonshine again.”

Lexa laughs, “That’s what you said last time they convinced you to be their taste tester.”

Raven winces as she sits up, rubbing the base of her neck, “Yeah, well I meant it. I just needed you there to remind me what a fucking terrible idea it is. I'm never helping friends out ever again.”

Lexa rolls her eyes, “I'll believe that when I see it. Where did you all go last night?”

Raven scoots to the side of her bed and grabs her crutches from under her bed. “We got so drunk in the guys’ room that we didn’t even make it out anywhere,” she says as she walks to her set of drawers, pulling out a pair of black yoga pants and a comfy t-shirt and returns to her bed. Lexa moves toward her own dresser as Raven starts taking off her pajamas, following her roommate’s lead and putting on fresh clothes. Raven continues talking as they both get dressed, “I would’ve just crashed there, but I didn’t feel like sleeping in jeans. And plus, who the hell knows the last time either of them washed their sheets.”

Lexa shudders a bit, “Monty’s were probably fine, but I would never risk passing out in Jasper’s bed.”

Raven laughs as she puts her pajamas away, “Yeah, you couldn’t get me drunk enough to get near that pig sty.” She sits back down and starts putting on her socks. Lexa notices Raven rubbing her left leg after she’s finished.

“How’s your leg feeling? I know it aches more when the weather starts cooling down, and my run was a chilly this morning.”

Raven shrugs, “It hurts a bit. It helps that I’ve had about four years to get used to this shit.”

Lexa nods in understanding, familiar with the car accident Raven and her mom had been in the summer before her Raven’s junior year of high school. They were driving home from Raven’s soccer game- Raven’s mom actually letting her drive for once- when another driver ran a red light and t-boned their car. Her mom was able to walk out of the car, but Raven’s leg was pinned in between the door and the dashboard. By the time the emergency crew got her out, her leg was severely broken and she had other injuries- a broken arm, bruised rib, and concussion. Everything else healed fine, and the surgeons did their best to repair her leg, but it was never the same after. Raven had suffered nerve damage that the doctors couldn’t do anything about. She’d gone through a ridiculous amount of physical therapy, hoping that with enough work she’d get the full use of her leg back, even though her doctor explained how unlikely this was. Eventually, she had to make peace with the fact that she’d be reliant on crutches and a brace for the rest of her life.

“Let’s go get some breakfast. I need a pile of fried food and a massive coffee ASAP. Monty wants to meet up later to work on our engineering project and I need to pull out all the stops to get over this hangover,” Raven says as she finishes putting on her leg brace.

Lexa nods, “We should try and stop by the guys room and see if they want to eat with us.”

Raven grins, “If by ‘stop by’ you mean bang on their door until they’re awake and miserable with me, then I’m down.”

Lexa shakes her head at her roommate before she closes and locks the door behind them, sure that her morning is about to get a lot more interesting.

* * *

The rest of Lexa’s Sunday is spent studying in the room. Raven studies there for awhile, but leaves in the afternoon to meet Monty. Lexa makes her way over to the newsroom around 4 p.m. to start prepping for the paper layout. She enjoys the half-hour alone before her section editors arrive. The room is peaceful, the calm before the storm that will surely begin in a few hours. Her routine starts with making a pot of coffee. Lexa had convinced their faculty advisor, the head of the English department, that the college could afford to buy a few coffee makers for the newsroom at the beginning of the semester and although the coffee isn’t as good as Jaha’s, it gets the job done. Once the coffee has started brewing, she begins prepping the copy tables and then boots up the computer that’s connected to the projection monitor at the front of the room. She has just started pulling open the story folders the section editors emailed her yesterday when Nathan Miller walks in the room. Miller is easily her favorite editor, always early and reliable, and he has a great rapport with his sports writers. Lexa’s a little envious at how easily he gets along with everyone, but then again it’s not really her job to be anyone’s friend.

“Hey Lexa,” he greets as he goes to the coffee station and pours himself a cup. “How’s your weekend been?”

“Hi, Nathan. My weekend has been fairly enjoyable. I had dinner with Anya last night and then hung out with her and Jamie. How was yours? Didn’t you have a date with that guy from your sports psychology class last night?”

Miller sighs, “Yeah, but man, was that a dud. I think all we had in common was being Longhorns fans and we finished talking about that after the first fifteen minutes. The rest of the dinner was spent in mostly awkward silence and a few failed attempts to start conversations. It’s pretty safe to say there won’t be a second date.”

Lexa winces, “I’m sorry it wasn’t a good date. At least you can say you made an attempt though.”

Miller shrugs, “Well, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?”

Lexa groans, “I can’t believe we’re still doing this. And yes, I know who said that- Wayne Gretzky. If you insist on continuing this game, the least you could do is challenge me.” The two of them started this game last year when Miller quoted a famous athlete and Lexa immediately provided the source. He’s been trying to stump her with quotes ever since.

“Yeah, that was a pretty easy one, wasn’t it?” Miller blows on his coffee to cool it down before taking a sip, “Speaking of taking shots though, any breaking news in your love life?”

Lexa is saved having to answer his question when Harper McIntyre, the paper’s opinions editor, walks in. Harper smiles at them both and greets them with a “hello” before she settles in her seat. The rest of the editorial staff slowly filters in, small groups of conversation erupting as the editors catch up with one another. At four o’clock sharp, Lexa turns on the projector and starts the meeting. They spend about an hour and a half going over the story folders for each section, deciding on which articles to use for the the page layout. This is one of Lexa’s favorite parts of being editor-in-chief. She loves listening to the section editors talk through their reasoning for why certain articles should be included in the printed paper, or why others should just be uploaded online. Once those are decided, the editors go to their desks to revise the articles once more before sending them to Emori Guerra, the design editor. Lexa’s a bit old school and also likes to have a layout table to visualize what the actual paper will look like, so while Emori handles the digital layout, Lexa updates the hard copy. She finds it helpful for when Jasper Jordan, their digital media editor, is finished editing photos- something about seeing how everything fits in real size helps bring the paper to life. Nathan told her once that on printing night she looks like a general of an army pouring over maps and plans before a battle.

A few hours later Lexa is at the layout table, re-arranging pictures and articles with Emori. She pushes her glasses up on top of her head so she can pinch the bridge of her nose. She feels the tell-tale pain of a headache starting to form between her eyes, no doubt brought by staring at the layouts and computer screen too long, when she hears laughter. The noise is out of place on publication night in the newsroom and quickly grabs her attention. She looks up and sees Clarke talking to Octavia, who had come in a couple hours ago to work on the website and finish her own article on the women’s field hockey team. Lexa’s breath catches, surprised to see the blonde in the newsroom.

“So what do you think? Should I go with the first or second picture here?” Emori’s voice brings Lexa out of her slight trance. She pulls herself together as she turns her attention back to the layout.

“The second looks good where it is. I’ll be right back- can you check in with Jasper about the pictures from the football game? He should have them edited by now.” Lexa doesn’t wait for Emori’s reply, knowing the other girl is more than capable at her job. The fact that Jasper, and most of the newspaper staff, are a little scared of Emori is actually useful at times like this- she has a way of encouraging people to finish their work a bit faster.

Lexa makes her way over to Octavia and Clarke, calling out the blonde’s name as she walks. Clarke looks up from Octavia’s computer screen, “Lexa? What are you doing here?”

Lexa chuckles as she closes the final few steps between them, “It seems I should be asking you that question, seeing as I’m the editor of the paper and I know you aren’t on the staff.” She leans against a desk as she crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.

Clarke can’t help but follow the movement, her eyes drawn to the other girl’s forearms which are on full display thanks to the rolled up sleeves of her white-button up. Her eyes slowly trail upward, taking in how well the form-fitting shirt accents Lexa’s figure, before running over the girl’s buttons. Clarke appreciates how the top two are undone, giving her ample view of the brunette’s slender neck before focusing on Lexa’s face, which is more visible than Clarke’s ever seen with her hair pulled into a top knot. Lexa has her glasses on again, which Clarke thinks make her look adorable. She’s more gorgeous than Clarke remembers, even though she had just seen the girl two days ago- something about seeing Lexa in her element pulls at Clarke’s stomach. Lexa is watching her when Clarke meets her eyes and the realization that the other girl caught her staring causes Clarke to blush.

“Wait a second, you two know each other? What the fuck?” Octavia exclaims, her eyebrows furrowed together. Clarke starts a little bit, almost forgetting there are other people in the room besides her and Lexa.

“Oh, yeah, we met the other night at the library. Lexa was nice enough to share a table with me because I couldn’t find a study carrel.” Lexa dips her chin, affirming Clarke’s story.

Octavia scoffs, “Yeah, right. I bet Princess here just sat down like she owned the table.”

Clarke turns a deeper red at the childhood nickname, “I did not! Well, not on purpose anyway…”

Lexa smiles slightly at their banter. “She did ask in a rather...non verbal manner.” she says, trying to spare Clarke from any further teasing. “She was a good study partner though.”

Octavia shakes her head, “Don’t encourage that kind of behavior, Lexa. Clarke here needs to learn the world is not actually her kingdom.” Octavia’s lips curl up into a smirk when Clarke tries to shove her out of her chair and whispers at her to shut up. She doesn’t want to have to explain the “Princess” nickname Bellamy and Octavia gave her when they were growing up.

"We also grabbed coffee Friday afternoon,” Lexa offers smiling softly when she remembers how nice it had been, “And she bought the drinks, so I’d say we’re even.” Clarke turns and gives Lexa a warm smile.

Octavia shoots a look of fake betrayal at Clarke, “So you just went out and made a new best friend and didn't bother to share this with me? What happened to telling each other everything? I'm so hurt.” Octavia puts her hand over her heart, giving Clarke an exaggerated pout.

Clarke rolls her eyes, “You’ll get over it, you big baby.”

Lexa clears her throat and the two friends stop their teasing to look at her, “I’m curious how Octavia never mentioned I was her editor before. I’m sure she’s vented to you about being a writer on my staff. I know I can be a bit demanding.”

Octavia’s cheeks immediately turn red and her mouth falls open. She glances at Clarke, her eyes pleading with her friend to save her, but Clarke just snorts, “I’m going to let Octavia explain this one to you.”

Octavia glares at her alleged best friend before turning her gaze back to Lexa, “Uh, well...I may have given you a nickname and never actually said your name in front of Clarke the very few times I’ve brought you up in conversation before…”

Lexa’s face remains stoic, “Ahh, I see. Can I ask what this nickname might be?”

Octavia slumps in her seat a bit and mumbles something. Clarke nugs her, “Speak up O. I don’t think Lexa heard you.”

Octavia shoves Clarke, “I hate you. I said, I think I called you the Commander once or twice. Maybe.”

Lexa smirks at the nickname, “The Commander? I like it. It’s much better than the Dictator.”

Octavia jumps up, “Anya knew we called her that? Shit!”

Lexa actually laughs at Octavia’s reaction, “Yes, Anya knew. Nothing really gets by her. She’ll be very amused to hear her second got a nickname as well.”

Octavia drops her head onto her desk and groans, “Great. I love my life so much right now.”

Clarke smiles at Lexa. “Sorry for the drama queen. Octavia is actually pretty awesome, and a really great friend. I think Anya may have scared her a bit last year, and when O gets scared she either pouts or gets angry.”

Octavia sits up quickly and clenches her jaw, “She did NOT scare me and I don't pout. Anya’s just a little intimidating is all.”

Lexa hums in agreement, “I can’t argue with that. Anya’s always been very determined and will do whatever to get the results she wants. But don’t worry, I think she actually really enjoyed the nickname. I’m positive it actually made her head even bigger, a feat I didn’t think was possible at this point.”

Clarke looks confused, “Are you two close or something?” She jumps up to sit on Octavia’s desk while she waits for Lexa’s reply.

Lexa dips her chin slightly as a small smile emerges on her face, “Yes, we grew up in the same town. Anya went to school with my brother and I, and the two of us played on the field hockey team in high school. She's one of my best friends. What about you two? How long have you and Octavia known each other?”

Octavia mumbles around a mouthful of food, having continued eating while Lexa was talking. Lexa just quirks her eyebrows while she watches the crumbles fall onto Octavia’s lap.

Clarke lightly kicks O and shakes her head. “Stop being such a pig, O,” she says before focusing on Lexa, “We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers. Our parents are close friends and so we kind of had a built in playmate since birth.”

Octavia finally swallows, “That’s what I said!”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “Yeah, but the food drowned out the words, idiot.” Octavia grabs Clarke’s foot and acts like she’s going to pull the blonde off the desk, making Clarke plant her hands on the desktop in preparation, but Octavia just drops her foot with a fake sweet smile. “Jerk,” Clarke mumbles.

Octavia gives her a real smile, “Shut up. You love me.”

Clarke sighs, “Unfortunately, this is true.” Lexa laughs at their antics, amused by the two friends. Clarke grins up at her at the sound, making a note to try and draw the musical sound from the brunette as often as possible.

Emori suddenly calls Lexa’s name out, telling her some pictures just came in and she needs Lexa to check on their placement in the layout. Lexa makes a cute gesture with her hands, waving them over her shoulder towards the design editor, “Duty calls. Octavia, can you email your article to Nathan when you’re done eating?” Octavia nods quickly, her mouth once again full with the last bite of burger. Lexa turns her gaze to Clarke, a small smile playing at her lips, “It was nice seeing you again, Clarke. I hope we run into each other soon.”

“You, too, Lexa. May we meet again,” Clarke says, grinning as she mirrors the goodbye Lexa had given to her after their first meeting. Lexa returns the grin before she turns to heads to Emori’s desk, her headache forgotten and feeling more exhilarated than she has all day.

As soon as Lexa’s back is turned to them, Octavia grabs Clarke’s knee. “Okay, what the hell was that? I feel like I’m in a damn episode of the Twilight Zone- and don’t try to change the subject by making fun of me for saying that when you know how Bell forced me to watch that fucking show all through middle school when he was going through that stupid sci-fi phase.”

Clarke laughs, “I forgot how much of a nerd Bellamy was back then.”

Octavia scoffs, “Back then? He’s still a giant nerd, just better at hiding it. But anyway, this all just feels too weird. You and Lexa know each other and she’s actually kind of funny and...not horrible? Did I wake up in a parallel universe today or something?”

Clarke steals some more fries from Octavia’s box and cringes a bit, as they’ve turned lukewarm during their talk with Lexa. She washes them down with some coffee and then answers Octavia, “Nope, just your usual universe where you have an article to submit and I have a lab group to go meet. See you back at home later?”

“Wait, wait. I just have one question to ask before you leave?” Octavia asks. Clarke hops off her desk and gestures for O to continue. Octavia lowers her voice to a whisper, “Did you, you know...with Lexa in the library?"

Clarke’s face scrunches in confusion, “Did I what with Lexa in the library?”

Octavia rolls her eyes, “You’re so dense sometimes. I’m trying to ask if study session is code for a quickie in the library?”

Clarke blushes and sputters a bit, “Whaaatt? No, what the hell, O? I barely know Lexa...not that there’s anything wrong with random hook ups or anything but Jesus, it wasn’t like I was at a frat party. I swear, I just sat at her table and we studied.”

Octavia looks a little unconvinced, but Clarke continues before she can interrupt, “She is intriguing though.”

“I can think of other words that would be much better at describing her, but okay. Seriously though, I’ve never seen Lexa that open around anyone she hardly knows. You sure you two didn’t hook up last year and she’s been, like, secretly pining for you all this time?” Clarke barely registers Octavia’s question, her gaze wandering over to the layout table where Lexa is. “Earth to Clarke…” Clarke jumps when Octavia waves her hand in front of Clarke’s face, blocking her view of Lexa.

“What? No, for fuck’s sake O. I know I had some random hookups last year, but I’m pretty sure I’d remember if Lexa was one of them. Besides, how do you even know she’s into girls?”

Octavia shrugs, “I don’t for sure, just heard a rumor last year that she was. She’s definitely your type-attractive, dark hair, kind of broody, strong jawline. Remind you of anyone?”

Clarke ignores the obvious reference to her ex-boyfriend, Finn. “If you think Lexa is so hot, why don’t you just ask her out yourself?”

Octavia sighs, “Ahh, if only I were into women…”

Clarke smirks, “I still say you could be, if you met the right one. Anyway, I really do need to go though. I’ve five minutes late and if I don’t get there soon, the guys will leave and make Maya and I do all the work.”

“Okay, but don’t think this conversation is over, Princess. There’s more to this story and like any good journalist, I’m gonna dig until I find the truth.” Octavia props her feet up on the desk and balances her chair on two legs while crossing her arms and fixing Clarke with what she thinks is an intimidating look.

Clarke laughs, “Bellamy might be the nerd, but you are definitely the dork of the family.” She tosses a pencil at Octavia who reaches up to catch it and almost topples the chair in the process.

Octavia tucks the writing utensil behind her ear, tossing Clarke a smug grin. “See you at home. Thanks again for the food, babe. You really are the best!”

Clarke gives Octavia a warm smile, “No problem. See you later, All-Star.” She spares one more glance up at Lexa as she moves toward the door. Clarke catches Lexa’s eye and gives the dark haired girl a small smile that is immediately returned. She can't help but hoping she sees the other girl again soon. 

* * *

 Lexa arrives early to her macroeconomics class Tuesday morning and is reviewing her notes when someone noisily sits in the chair beside her. She looks up, slightly annoyed at the intrusion, until she sees it’s Bellamy Blake. He’s wearing his usual half-cocked grin, his shaggy dark brown hair hanging almost to his eyes. Lexa can certainly understand why girls tend to flock to him, with his tanned, muscular build. The dotting of freckles across his nose also give him a sort of boyish charm. She happens to know he’s a total nerd who enjoys learning almost as much as her, something he desperately tries to keep hidden from his frat brothers and girls he’s interested in. Lexa doesn’t really understand this, since she finds intelligence to be one of the most attractive qualities, but she doesn’t give him too much grief for it. Mainly because he’s pretty awful at toning down his nerdiness.

“Hey, Lexa. How was your weekend?” Bellamy asks as he pulls out his notebook and pencil.

“It was good. How was yours?”

“It was awesome! I went to the Fiji party with Murphy and then watched the Eagles game Sunday. Bradford actually played well and it’s always a good day when they beat the Cowboys.” Bellamy does a ridiculous fist pumping motion and grins at Lexa. She shakes her head in amusement. “Oh, by the way, I don't know if you've got plans Friday night, but DU is throwing a party and I wanted to make sure you got an invite from your favorite bro.”

Lexa laughs, “You are aware that you’re my only ‘bro’ in that house, right?”

Bellamy grins, “Yeah, but still you’re favorite, right?”

Lexa shakes her head as the classroom starts to fill with their classmates, a small grin gracing her face for a moment which makes Bellamy grin even wider.

“So Friday? You down?”

Lexa nods, “I’ll be there. Please make sure you have some decent alcohol, though. I’d rather not drink that watered down crap you try to pass off as beer.”

Bellamy lets out a chuckle, “Don’t worry, I got you, babe. I'll get some of that fruity shit you like.”

Lexa smacks Bellamy on the shoulder, “Wine is not fruity shit. It's good. Not my fault you are unsophisticated and can't appreciate the finer things in life.”

Bellamy lets out an indignant huff, but before he can launch into his explanation for why he's a sophisticated guy, Gina Martin walks in. Bellamy attempts to do some sort of impressive hair toss, trying to catch Gina’s attention, but ends up just getting his bangs in his eyes even worse than before. Gina looks their way as Lexa bursts out laughing at Bellamy frantically trying to get his messy hair in order. He lightly shoves Lexa and tells her to shut up before he finally notices Gina watching them and gives her a cocky grin. Gina just gives them a small smile and shakes her head as she sits in her seat, immediately talking to the girl she sits down next to. Bellamy’s grin quickly fades as he slumps down in his seat.

Before Bellamy can embarrass himself any further, their professor arrives and starts their lecture. He spends most of the class shooting glances Gina’s way or slouching in his seat. At the end of the lecture, Lexa wordlessly hands him her notes. He gives her a grateful smile as they pack up to leave.

Lexa puts her hand on his forearm right because they walk out the door. “You should just tell her you like her. Ask her out for dinner or something. It's not like you haven't been rejected by girls before. I've been one of them.” When they first met last year, Bellamy had tried to hit on Lexa until she politely declined and told him it'd never work since they didn't play for the same team. He'd immediately declared himself her bro and said they'd be each other's wingman. They've been friends ever since.

Bellamy sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I know, but I actually like Gina. A lot. And I have no idea if she's even into me. You're right though, I guess I should just man up.”

Lexa slaps him on the back, causing Bellamy to wince a bit- Lexa may look small, but her lanky body is deceiving for how strong she is. “Go get the girl, bro,” she says with a mocking grin.

Bellamy returns her smirk and holds his fist up. Lexa rolls her eyes, but grins as she taps her own fist against his as she heads toward the staircase.

* * *

 Octavia is working on a paper in her room Tuesday afternoon when Clarke’s phone dings with a new text alert. Clarke’s in the shower attempting to remove all the clay from her sculpting class, which Octavia knows takes forever. She can’t help but wonder if Lexa is texting Clarke. Octavia’s not even sure if they’ve swapped numbers because every time she tries to bring the brunette up, Clarke changes the subject. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she walks over to Clarke’s bed, snatching her phone up and quickly entering the passcode.

The only new message is from an unknown number and reads “ _Hey sexy, what are you up to?_ ” followed by a winking emoticon. Octavia grins at the message, thinking it could be a potential partner for her roommate. This thought makes Octavia plop down onto Clarke’s bed and begin typing out a reply, “ _Not much, just thinking about you ;)_ ”.

She watches as the stranger types back, then frowns when the ellipses disappears for a minute. Finally, another message pops up “ _uh...okay. We still on for tomorrow night?_ ”

Octavia lets out a giggle, excited that Clarke is finally putting herself out there again. It’s been awhile since her roommate had an actual date. She sends another text, telling the stranger she wouldn’t dream of standing a hottie like them up.

Clarke enters the room just as she’s hitting send and barely acknowledges Octavia sitting on her bed, used to her best friend invading her side of the room. She does a double take when she realizes the phone Octavia is currently texting on is hers though. “O, why are you using my phone?”

Octavia sits up and tosses Clarke’s phone back on the bed, “Just trying to help my bestie get laid. You can thank me later,” she says as she sits back down on her desk chair.

Clarke quickly snatches up her phone and opens it, groaning when she reads the messages Octavia sent. As she skimming over them, a new message pops up reading “ _Have you started Tipsy Tuesday already, Clarke? lol this is Raven btw, kinda forgot to say that earlier_ ”. She shoots Octavia a glare as she adds Raven to her contact list. “You idiot. That was my molecular bio lab partner who I am not trying to sleep with. I swear to God…”

Octavia grimaces, “Oops? I thought it was a potential hook up....my bad, C."

Clarke waves her off before sending an apology text to Raven, “It’s fine. She’s heard me complain about you enough to know how crazy you are.”

“Hey!” Octavia cries in objection, “I’m not crazy. Just trying to help out my number one girl.”

Clarke giggles at Raven’s reply, “She says you sound like a tease. And also that you sound hot, though I don’t really know she can tell that from just two texts.”

Octavia's face bursts into a pleased smile, “Some things in life are just really obvious.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “Don’t let it go to your head, hot stuff.”

Octavia points a finger at Clarke, “See! Even you know it’s true. There’s no denying that this,” she says as she gestures down her body, “is hot.” She tosses Clarke a wink and turns back to her computer screen to finish her paper.

Clarke continues texting Raven and they set up a time to meet up tomorrow night to study. A few minutes later, Octavia climbs back in Clarke’s bed, demanding she be rewarded with an episode of Grey’s and cuddles for finishing her paper. Clarke obliges, and they end up watching until dinner.

* * *

Raven groans and rubs her eyes. Clarke and her have been studying for two hours and she feels like they’ve barely made a dent in reviewing the lecture notes. “I need a fucking break. You want anything from the vending machine?”

Clarke doesn’t look up from her notebook, where she’s highlighting what she hopes is an important point, “Sure, I’m good with anything.” By the time Raven makes it back to their table with snacks, Clarke has started drawing caricatures of Professor Pike in the margins of her notes.

“You should draw some horns on his head ‘cause I’m pretty certain he’s the spawn of Satan,” Raven says as she tosses a bag of chips and a candy bar next to Clarke. “So quick recap- we’re really fucking screwed for this test.”

Clarke sighs and opens the chip bag, “Yeah, pretty much. I swear to God, the more we learn, the less we know.”

Raven laughs, “Shit, Griffin, you get poetic when you’re doing a late night study session. I’m so ready for this exam to be over. I just want it to be Friday night. I’m going to need a drink whether I pass or fail this damn thing, and making some frat boys cry while I kick their ass in beer bong never fails to put me in a good mood.”

Clarke nods, “That sounds like the perfect way to celebrate. You should come to the DU and celebrate with me! My roommate’s brother is in the house and promised they were going to have a good party Friday.”

“That sounds like a solid plan. Alright, now back to work. I didn’t buy those chips for you out of the kindness out of my heart- you gotta earn your meals, tutor girl,” Raven winks at Clarke as she pulls her own notebook towards her.

The two study for another hour and a half before calling it quits. They walk back to their dorms together, going their separate ways when they reach the quad. Lexa is climbing into her bed when Raven walks in.

“Hi Rae, how was the study session?” Lexa pulls the covers all the way up to her chin and squints at Raven, finding it hard to make out her roommate’s face without contacts or glasses. Raven makes a mental note to add this to the top ten list of most adorable things she’s ever seen- not that she’d ever admit to having such a list. That would totally ruin the badass reputation she’s been building since freshman year.

Raven yawns as she tosses her backpack by her desk. “It started off hella rough, but we made some decent headway at the end. How was your day?” She hasn’t seen Lexa since this morning.

Her roommate groans and rolls onto her side to face Raven better. “It was long. Started out with a pop quiz in my accounting class, and then my sociology professor said he wrote the due date for our essay wrong in the syllabus and it’s actually due a week earlier, because he’s going to a conference and wants them in before he leaves.”

“What the fuck? Why doesn't he just make it due a week later, then?” Raven asks as she starts unpacking her books.

Lexa yawns and shrugs before realizing Raven isn't facing her. “Probably would push everything else back for the rest of the semester, and this professor is a stickler for following schedules.”

Raven faces Lexa as she walks back to her own bed, “Well, I'm 98% sure you've already started the essay, because you're the most responsible college student I know, but it sucks for the rest of your class.”

Lexa blushes, “I may have already made an outline and written the introduction…”

Raven makes a hand sweeping gesture toward Lexa, “My roommate, ladies and gentlemen, the world’s biggest nerd.”

Lexa tosses a pillow at her, which Raven catches easily. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. I may have a bum leg, but my hand-eye coordination is still as amazing as ever,” she smirks as she throws it back to Lexa. “Oh, by the way, my biology partner invited me to a party at DU Friday night. Would you want to go with me?” Raven says as she flips on the clip-on lamp attached to her bed frame and turns off the ceiling light.

Lexa laughs, “I got invited to the same party by Bellamy. I forgot to tell you about it yesterday, but he promised to have something better than beer for us.”

Raven removes her brace and quickly changes into her sleep shorts and a tank top. She sighs as she lays down in her bed, stretching before turning into her side. “Sounds great, roomie. Can't wait to get shitfaced and fall into the quad bushes with you again.”

Lexa groan, “One time, that happened one time last year! I haven't gotten that drunk since then.”

Raven laughs, “Yeah, I know and it's a shame cause you were even more hilarious with zero filter. Maybe you need to let loose like that again, but for a good reason this time?”

Lexa drops her eyes to her comforter and picks a loose thread. “Yeah, maybe,” she says quietly, “Last time wasn't exactly a blast, what with me crying and you listing Costia’s top fifty worst traits.”

It's the first time Lexa has mentioned Costia this semester, and while Raven would usually give her roommate a friendly nudge to talk, she can tell Lexa is uncomfortable so she changes the subject. “While I’d be more than happy to add to that list, I'd much rather get drunk and list the top fifty reasons we’re both too sexy to be single.”

Lexa looks up and smiles at that, “Oh yeah? Can I get an exclusive look at some of these reasons?”

Raven gives cheeky grin, “Our brains and our bodies, babe. We've got both coming out our asses.”

Lexa laughs, “You’re ridiculous.”

“What? I'm just speaking the truth!”

Lexa shakes her head and rolls over, “Goodnight, Raven.”

“Night, Lexa. Have sweet dreams of tequila shots and kicking ass at beer pong on Friday night.” Raven clicks off her bedside lamp, cloaking the room in black as Lexa’s quiet laughter fills the space, fading out as both roommates fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been so long since I updated! I can't promise the next chapter won't take awhile to get up as well, cause I'll be a hell of a lot busier in a few weeks when I start classes for my Master's, but hopefully inspiration will strike and I'll get it posted faster than this one was. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! as always, comments are appreciated. I love hearing what y'all think about the fic :)


	6. I like to see you in your gambling mood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa do shots together, Jasper is a hot mess, and Raven shamelessly flirts with Octavia, who (not-so-secretly) likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been FOREVER since I updated. hopefully this is well worth the wait. I also figured today can be hard on some people (being around family can suck sometimes), so it'd be a good time to post this after I finallyyyyy finished it :)
> 
> as always, any kudos/comments/feedback is appreciated! <3

It’s finally Friday evening, and Raven is more than ready to get her party on. The week has only gotten longer and harder after her study session with Clarke. She’s confident she didn’t completely bomb her exam, but she still wants to drink this week away.

She meets Jasper, Monty, and Lexa in the dining hall for an early dinner, and then heads back to the dorms with the boys. Lexa, ever the studious one, goes to the library to get some work done before the party. Raven isn’t sure how her roommate does it. She loves her engineering courses, and can lose herself for hours working on projects, but the sitting down and studying thing has never been her forte.

Raven is walking backwards, describing a particularly hilarious accident that happened in her bio-engineering lab, when she suddenly bumps into something solid. Make that someone solid.

“Hey! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” Raven turns around and sees she has walked into a girl. A very pretty girl, who slightly glares at her before bending over to pick up the books and papers that had scattered during the encounter.

“Sorry! I was trying to tell my friends a story, and it’s a little hard to see when you’re walking backwards.” Raven does her best to bend down with her brace to help gather the girl’s papers, noticing how the girl’s eyes are drawn to her mechanical gear. She closes her eyes, ready for the apology she is sure is coming. It always happens when people see that she has a...a disability. God, she hates that word. Because she’s still more than able to do most things since her accident. She can’t stand the pitying looks, like she’s less of a person because she lost the use of a leg.

“Did you hit your head against me, or something?” Raven opens her eyes and sees the girl staring at her strangely, her face a mixture of confusion and concern. “Cause while I’m totally strong enough to carry you to the medical center, I’d rather not have to break a sweat this late in the day.”

Raven shakes her head, “No, I’m fine, I just thought...nevermind. Here, let me help you.” She gathers the papers nearest to her, handing the collected notes back to the girl, who straightens up and watches Raven push up off the ground. Monty and Jasper know better than to try to help, after Raven almost bit their heads off the last time they offered. She feels a strange sense of gratitude to this girl for not treating her like she’s broken. Once she’s standing, they just stare at one another, neither sure of what to say.

Monty coughs behind them, “Hey, Octavia. How’s it going?”

Octavia breaks her eye contact with Raven, finally noticing the two of them aren’t alone. “Oh, hey Monty, Jasper! I’m alright. I’ve had kind of a shitty week, so I’m ready to blow off some steam tonight.”

“Holy shit, you’re the infamous Octavia! Sorry again.” Raven says with a slight grin, hoping her charm might help Octavia forget about Raven almost knocking her to the ground.

Octavia grins, “Infamous? Just what have these two been saying about me?”

“Nothing bad. Mostly about how you single handedly drank all the tequila at the newspaper’s end of the year party last spring, and then proceeded to kick ass at beer pong. I’ve been wanting to play with you ever since they told me that story.”

Octavia sizes Raven up. “You’re a fellow beer pong enthusiast? Please tell me you play better than these two,” she says, nodding at Monty and Jasper.

“Hey! We aren’t that bad!” Jasper cries out. He turns to Monty, “We aren’t, right?”

Monty rests his hand on Jasper’s shoulder, “We kind of are, man. Especially compared to Raven.”

The girls laugh at Jasper’s crestfallen face. Raven turns back to Octavia, her hand outstretched, “Raven Reyes. Reigning beer pong champion of Grant High School. It would be an honor to play with you sometime.”

Octavia lets out a full blown laugh at the introduction, but plays along as she shakes Raven’s hand. “Tell you what, Reyes. I’m going to be at the DU party tonight with my roommate. Why don’t you meet me there, and we can see about playing a game. If you’re as good as you claim, I have a feeling we won’t have much competition.”

Raven smiles, “I can’t think of a better way to spend Friday night than making frat boys cry with a beautiful lady by my side.”

Octavia blushes a bit as she returns the smile. “Clarke is off studying right now, so I’m not sure what time we’ll get to the frat house, but it’ll probably be around 11.”

“Wait, Clarke? Clarke as in Clarke Griffin?” Raven asks, wondering what the likelihood of another female Clarke being on campus is.

“Yep, the one and only. Do you know her?” Octavia asks.

Raven lets out a little laugh, “Yeah, we have molecular biology together and I sort of...persuaded her to be my lab partner.”

“Oh my god! You're the one I sent those flirty texts to the other day!” Octavia lets out a loud laugh.

“And you’re the ridiculous roommate Clarke’s been telling me stories about all semester.” Raven gives Octavia a once-over, “My assumption from your texts was totally spot on. You are definitely hot,” she states as she winks at the other girl.

Octavia grins, “Right back at you. Our combined hotness will only help our beer pong game. The guys will be too busy eyeing us up to pay attention to their shots.”

Jasper mumbles, “So not fair.”

The girls look over as Monty awkwardly rubs his neck, feeling like him and Jasper have interrupted another moment.

Octavia glances down at the papers in her hand and remembers she was heading somewhere before she ran into the group. “I’ve got to run these notes over to a friend who missed class, but I’ll see you all at DU later?”

They nod and say goodbye to Octavia, Raven being the last to turn her head away from the brunette. She finds Jasper and Monty watching her with shit-eating grins.

“Raven’s got a crush,” Jasper cooes.

She shoves him as she continues their walk to their dorm, “Shut up. I can’t help it that I practically have pretty woman falling at my feet.”

Monty lets out a chuckle, “Yeah, I don’t think it counts if they fall at your feet because you walked into them.”

“Quiet, Green Bean. It’s not like you know anything about pretty women. Pretty boys, on the other hand…Speaking of which, what happened with that guy you went on a date with last week? Thomas? Toby?”

Monty rolls his eyes, both at Raven’s use of that stupid nickname she stuck him with since last year and her inability to remember the names of the guys he dates. He knows she’s secretly hoping him and Jasper will get together, but Monty gave up on that dream after years of pining for his very straight, very clueless best friend. “Tony. His name was Tony, and he was nice enough, but...I don’t know, there wasn’t much of a connection. Luckily, he felt the same so we agreed to just be friends.”

“Ugh, boring. We need to find someone for you tonight.”

Jasper nods and flings his arm around Monty’s shoulders, “Wingman Jasper is at your service!”

Raven laughs, remembering the last time Jasper tried to find a guy for Monty, “Given how that worked out last time, tonight is bound to get interesting.”

Monty groans, “That’s an understatement. Please, Jasper, just make sure the guy is single this time? I really don’t feel like getting sucker punched again by a jealous boyfriend.”

Jasper grimaces, “Sorry. I’ll be better this time, I swear!”

Raven laughs as the guys wave goodbye and take the stairs up to their shared room. She heads down the hallway to her own room, images of a dark haired beauty at the forefront of her mind. Tonight can't come soon enough.

* * *

 

Clarke is drained. It’s been a long week, full of lab reports and exams. She’d much rather be in her dorm room taking a nap before Bellamy’s party, but she knows she’ll regret it tomorrow when she tries to get work done with what is bound to be a massive hangover. She’s partied with Bellamy and Octavia enough to not be naive about how tonight will go. She knows coffee is necessary to get through the next few hours and immediately heads to Jaha’s Java when she reaches the library. Luckily, there’s not much of a line and she reaches the front quickly. She’s about to order when she hears her name called out. She turns around and sees Lexa in line behind her, a small smile on the other girl’s face that widens when Clarke grins at her.

“Hey, Lexa! You coming or leaving?”

“I just got here. I'm assuming you're just arriving, too?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get some work done before going out tonight. I'm probably going to be useless tomorrow, since knowing Octavia I'll be drinking more than I plan tonight.”

Lexa laughs, “I can imagine she is very...enthusiastic about alcohol.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “You have no idea. Especially when drinking games are involved.”

“I have a bit of an idea. She went undefeated in beer pong at the paper’s end of the year party last spring,” Lexa says with a smirk gracing her face at the memory, “I’m almost certain two of the guys she played were in tears by the end of the match.”

Clarke shakes her head, “Oh, trust me. I heard all about that. She wouldn’t stop bragging about it for days after the party. To be honest, it probably would’ve been worse if I had been her partner. We have a tendency to be a little obnoxious when we win.”

Lexa raises an eyebrow, “Oh, are you the competitive type?”

Clarke shrugs, “I like winning, and I like to celebrate when I win. Usually loudly and with some dancing.”

Lexa smiles softly, “I would like to see that someday.”

“You could see it tonight, if you’re not busy. Octavia and I are going to her brother’s frat for a party and they always have at least one table set up for beer pong.” Clarke says, trying to as nonchalant as possible.

Lexa gives her a smile, “That would be great, but I already have plans with my roommate tonight.”

Clarke’s shoulders fall a bit, “Oh, okay. Another time?”

Lexa nods. “Yes, I’m positive there will be another weekend filled with beer pong. We are on a college campus, after all,” she says as she shoots Clarke a wink as she gestures toward the counter, “What are you having, Clarke?”

“Oh, just a medium coffee.” Clarke says as she pulls her wallet out.

Lexa puts her hand on top of Clarke’s when she tries to hand some cash to the barista. “I’ve got the coffee this time.” She turns to the barista, “The same for me, please.”

Clarke, “What? But last time was a thank you. We aren’t, like, keeping score or anything.”

Lexa smiles, “I know, but the fact remains that you paid last time, so it’s my turn to buy you coffee.”

Clarke hesitates putting her money away, “Are you sure?”

A girl behind them sighs loudly, “Just let your girlfriend pay already.”

Both girls’ faces turn red as they look at each other, then back at the girl. There’s a stretch of silence as Clarke and Lexa wait for the other to explain first, before Clarke takes the lead.

“Oh, we’re not..she’s not my...we’re just...friends?” Clarke finally sputters out, looking at Lexa to see how she reacts. Clarke isn’t sure they’re really even friends, but that’s the best she can come up with in the moment.

The girl rolls her eyes, “Congratulations, that’s great. But the rest of us would like to get our drinks sometime tonight.”

By the time Clarke turns back to the counter, Lexa has paid the barista and grabbed their coffees. They make their way over to the side cart with the sugar and creams, but not before Lexa shoots the girl behind them a glare. “Well, she was rude.”

Clarke giggles, “We were kind of holding up the line. She’s probably just tired after having a long week.”

Lexa grunts, “Being tired doesn’t excuse her rudeness. We are at college- everyone is constantly exhausted.” She pours her usual obscene amount of sugar and cream in her coffee. Clarke watches in amusement before adding a reasonable amount of sugar to her own drink. With one final glare from Lexa aimed at the outspoken student, they wordlessly head to the same table they studied at together last time.

Clarke sets her coffee down and starts to unload her backpack. Lexa laughs at her and she looks up.

“So you’re once again not going to ask permission to sit at my table, Griffin?” Lexa asks, a slight smirk on her face.

Clarke grins in return, “It worked out pretty well for me the first time, don’t you think?”

Lexa laughs and begins spreading out her own things across from Clarke. “I suppose it did. You ended up with a new friend and a nice study table in the same night.”

“That was a bonus, because honestly, I was just hoping for the seat.”

The two girls settle in, taking breaks often to share something they find interesting about their work. Lexa is pleasantly surprised at how productive she can be while also having a good time studying with Clarke. Studying with Raven is never this enjoyable, as her roommate is either laser focused on her own work or bored and tries to distract Lexa into entertaining her.

Clarke gets a text from Octavia around 9:30, asking if she’s heading back to the room soon to get ready for the party. “I really want to keep hanging out with you, but I need to go get ready for tonight.”

Lexa’s phone beeps right when Clarke finishes talking. “It looks like I’m being summoned by my roommate. Can I walk you back to your dorm?” Clarke nods and the girls pack up their things. The walk from the library is mostly quiet, with Clarke debating whether or not she should give Lexa her number. She wants to but isn’t sure how to do it casually. They reach Sky Hall before she knows it, being so lost in her thoughts.

Lexa plays with the strap on her backpack, not quite ready to leave Clarke yet. “I hope you have a good night, Clarke. And that we run into each other again.”

“You, too, Lexa. I have a feeling we’ll see each other soon- I do know where you study, after all.” She bites her lip as Lexa starts walking to Ground Hall, “Lexa, wait! Can I see your phone for a second?”

Lexa quirks her eyebrow, but hands Clarke her phone. Clarke types for a second and hands it back. “There, now you have my number. You know, in case your plans get done early or something and you want to meet up with me later.”

Lexa wordlessly types on her phone for a moment and Clarke hears her own phone dig. She opens it to see a text from a new number reading “ _It’s Lexa Trikru, aka the amazing study partner and brilliant newspaper editor_ ”

Clarke laughs, “You forgot to add modest to that list.”

Lexa grins, “I didn’t want to seem like I was bragging.”

Clarke shakes her head, “You’re an idiot, Lexa Trikru.”

Lexa gasps in mock outrage and folds her arms, “I’ll have you know I was valedictorian of my class and led our debate team to the state championships three consecutive years, not to mention I won every spelling bee in elementary school. You might want to check your facts before making such bold statements, Griffin.”

Clarke laughs, “And now I know you’re also a huge nerd.”

Lexa shrugs as she walks backwards toward her hall, “It’s part of my charm! Bye, Clarke.”

“Bye, Lexa.” Clarke waves at the brunette and heads into her dorm, excited to see what else the night will bring.

* * *

 

Lexa walks in her room wearing a lopsided smile, which Raven notices right away.

“Alright, spill. Who's the girl?” Raven asks, her eyes narrowing slightly. She's a bit protective of Lexa around girls, given the disaster that happened last year with Costia.

Lexa sighs as she places her backpack by her desk chair, “I have no idea what you're talking about, delusional person I share a room with.”

“Insults aren't going to distract me from the fact that you're wearing your crush smile,” Raven says as she folds her arms, “So just go ahead and tell me her name so I can start vetting her.”

Lexa frowns at Raven, “I do not have a crush smile.”

Raven scoffs, “Yeah, right, and I’m not the hottest biomedical engineer this college has ever seen.”

Lexa walks into her closet. “I don’t!” she indignantly tosses over her shoulder as she grabs her shower caddy and towel. She stares Raven down as she walks to their door, Raven placing her hands up in surrender.

As the door closes, Raven shouts, “You do, too!”

Lexa returns about ten minutes later to a dark room. She wonders where Raven ran off to when suddenly her desk light turns on and Raven swivels around in her desk chair. “Tell me about the girl, Lexa.”

Lexa rolls her eyes at her dramatic, and possibly deranged, roommate. “You seriously need a hobby,” she says as she flips on the ceiling light.

Raven moves to her own desk and starts applying her makeup in the standup mirror. “I already have one, roomie. It’s called meddling in your life, and I’m very good at it. Now, tell me about the girl before I make you,” she says as she threateningly points her mascara brush at Lexa.

Lexa sighs and moves to her drawer to grab underwear and a bra. “I’m not saying there’s a girl in the way you’re meaning it, but I may have made a new friend last week who I happened to run into at Jaha’s tonight. We ended up studying together and it wasn’t horrible. There, you happy?”

Raven turns to her side, “Wait, is this the chick you met at the library Anya was telling me you had a crush on?”

Lexa growls, “I do not have a crush on her! Jesus, I just met her.”

Raven waves her hand, “Yeah, yeah, but it’s the same girl then? Anya couldn’t remember her name so we’ve just been calling her library lover. On a somewhat related note, why the hell is Anya so bad at remembering names?”

Lexa throws her hands up, “No idea! She can remember the outcomes of hundreds of legal cases, but instantly forgets the name of anyone she meets. I will never understand how her brain works. But anyway, the girl’s name is Clarke. She’s actually really nice and funny. I think you’d like her.”

“Clarke? As in Clarke Griffin?” Raven asks, wondering how many times she’s going to ask that question in a single day.

“Yes, Clarke Griffin. Do you know her?” Lexa asks.

“Yeah, we have a class together.” Raven shakes her head in amazement at the coincidence.

Lexa raises her eyebrows in surprise, “Huh, what are the odds? She actually invited me out tonight, but I said I already had plans with my roommate. Though, I might regret that if said roommate keeps poking her nose in my life.”

Raven smiles at that- one of her favorite things about Lexa is how she always follows through on plans and promises to her friends. She opens her mouth to tell Lexa that they’re actually going to the same party as Clarke, but quickly shuts it. She wants to see how Lexa acts around the blonde, without having enough time to put her guard up. Lexa can deny it all she wants, but Raven knows the crush smile is real. So, she keeps that information to herself and changes the subject to what Lexa plans to wear to the party. But Raven knows Lexa knows Clarke, and that they’re going to see each other tonight, and that Clarke’s attractive roommate will be there, too...she can’t wait to see how this plays out.

* * *

 

Clarke takes another sip of her Jack and Coke before she puts the finishing touches on her makeup. After double checking that it looks good, she downs the rest of her drink. She pours another one as she waits for Octavia to walk out of her closet with what must be the hundredth outfit she’s tried on. Clarke isn’t sure why Octavia is being so uptight about her clothes tonight, but she guesses it’s because it’s their first party of the year and she wants to look extra good. Her roommate walks out with a satisfied smile on her face. “I think this is the one.”

Clarke lets out a low whistle as she scans her best friend’s clothing. Octavia is wearing black jeans that are ripped at the knees, a tight white tank top, a biker jacket that stops halfway down her back, and black combat boots. “Okay, who’s the guy you're trying to impress? Cause I want to see the heart attack he's bound to have when he sees you.”

Octavia grins, “There's the response I've been waiting for all night! And no guy, I'm just in a mood to look sexy as hell.”

Clarke hands Octavia a freshly made drink, “I’d say you accomplished that and then some. I look like a slob compared to you.” She looks down at her 76ers jersey, white shorts, and black Chuck Taylors.

Octavia shakes her head, “No way! The frat boy look is super hot on you. You just need one more thing.” She crosses the room and wanders into Clarke’s closet, emerging with a blue snapback that she sets on top of Clarke’s head. “There, now you're ready to party.”

Clarke grins, “Not quite.” She walks over to her laptop and plugs in the auxiliary cord for her speakers, then cues up a song. Her hips sway as the heavy bass thumps through the room, “Now we’re ready to party.”

Octavia quickly matches the rhythm of the song and the two friends dance around their room, enjoying not having a care in the world for the moment. When the song fades and the next one starts up, Octavia collapses on her bed, breathing heavily. Clarke laughs and lays down beside her, “You better start working on your cardio or Coach Wallace will kick your ass next semester.”

Octavia whacks Clarke on the side of the head with a pillow, “Shut up. I haven’t seen you running any miles lately.”

Clarke hits Octavia back with the matching pillow before moving it behind her head, “Yeah, maybe we should start a workout plan. Or, ya know, just find some people to hook up with. Sex is good cardio, after all.”

Octavia grins, “There’s my Clarkey, always finding a better solution to any problem life throws at us. And I’m pretty sure I know someone who would be interested in helping you out with that.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “I swear to God, if you say Murphy, I’ll push you off your own damn bed.”

“Oh, hell no! I wouldn’t suggest you hook up with him even if it would save the world from like, a nuclear apocalypse.”

Clarke giggles, “Good to know you would let the whole world burn rather than throw your best friend to the wolves.”

Octavia turns on her side, “I’ve always got your back, Princess.”

Clarke groans at the nickname, “I really wish you would stop using that name. So who is this mystery partner you want to match me up with?”

“Lexa, duh. If you could have seen the way you two looked at each other...” Octavia states matter-of-factly.

Clarke laughs, “Why are you so obsessed with the idea of Lexa and I having sex?”

Octavia shoves Clarke, “I’m not! I just think there’s something there.”

“There is something there. It’s called friendship.” Clarke deadpans.

Octavia scoffs, “Yeah, okay. We’ll see if you’re still saying that in a week.”

Clarke sits up and grabs Octavia’s hand, pulling her roommate up. “Let’s just finish these drinks and head to DU.” She glances at the clock next to her bed, “We’ll be fashionably late, just the way you like it.”

Octavia narrows her eyes at her roommate, “I know what you’re doing, Griffin. Trying to get me around a crowd so I’ll drop this Lexa thing. I’ll let it slide tonight, but the inquisition starts again tomorrow!”

Clarke shakes her head in amusement, wondering why the universe decided to give her such an annoyingly headstrong best friend. 

* * *

 

Raven and Lexa walk into DU’s basement that doubles as a dance floor on the weekends. They spent the last hour pre-gaming in Bellamy’s room with some of his frat brothers after Raven took an excruciatingly long time picking out Lexa’s outfit. Lexa had initially chosen to wear one of her favorite flannel shirts, but Raven insisted she dress up a little more. She had finally agreed to wear one of her nicer green shirts that Raven says makes her eyes pop, along with skinny jeans and mocha colored ankle high boots. She had little braids scattered throughout her long, brown locks. Raven also has jeans on, plus a blue cami, and a dark brown leather jacket that matches her boots. Her roommate had looked at them in the full length mirror hanging on her closet door and declared they'd be the hottest people at the party, which Lexa couldn't completely disagree with. They looked good, really good. Of course, Raven had then made Lexa take a series of pictures, for Raven’s supposedly dedicated Instagram followers.

Raven is busy typing away on her phone while Lexa scans the room, taking in the already packed dance floor and the long line at the keg in the corner. She nods to a few classmates she recognizes, but makes no move to talk to them.

“Monty and Jasper are almost here,” Raven says as she finally looks up, “Where’d Bellamy go?”

“Now, why would you be looking for Bell when you could hang out with a sexy guy like me?” John Murphy says as he slings his arm around Raven.

Raven shoves his arm off her shoulder as she takes in the slim, brown haired guy. “Murphy, I’m not sure you could look more of a stereotypical frat boy if you tried. I mean, seriously? A polo, khaki shorts, and boat shoes.You’re a walking cliche.”

Murphy shrugs, “What can I say? Cliches are popular with the ladies, just like me.” He winks at her before heading to the keg to refill his beer.

Raven grimaces, “Why do we hang out with him again?”

Lexa sighs, “Because he’s mostly talk and can be a decent human being when he isn’t trying so hard to get into girls’ pants?”

Raven nods her head, “Yeah, but I forget his redeeming qualities almost every time he opens his mouth. Oh, there’s Bell!”

Bellamy is walking toward the front entrance, where he wraps a dark haired girl in his arms and spins her around. Raven and Lexa hear her yelling for him to put her down as they walk to the pair. The girl throws a hard punch at Bellamy’s shoulder once she’s back on the ground and he winces as he turns to Raven and Lexa. “Jesus, O, can you not bruise me for one night? Hey guys, this is my little sister, Octavia!”

“Raven? Lexa? You two know my brother?” Octavia looks between the two girls, her forehead creasing in confusion.

Raven smiles, “Octavia! Hey, nice to see you again.” She turns to Bellamy, “Why have you been holding out on the fact that you have a gorgeous sister?”

Octavia blushes while Lexa looks confused, “You two are siblings? But isn’t Bellamy’s last name Marley? And yours is Blake…”

Octavia nods, “Yeah. Our mom married my dad and Bellamy’s split before he was born. She had taken the name Blake by the time they had me, but Bellamy kept her maiden name.”

Bellamy tosses his arm around Octavia’s shoulder to pull her close and ruffles her hair, “And I’ve been stuck with you since. Where’s the Princess? She promised she’d do a shot with me when she got here.”

Octavia growls, “Do you know how long it took me to get my hair looking this nice? Asshole,” she punches Bellamy in the arm. “And she’s talking to Miller. We ran into him in the lobby.”

Bellamy winces and rubs his arm, “Damn, O. I'm regretting giving you those boxing lessons this summer.”

Raven perks up at that information, “You box? That's hot.”

Octavia shrugs as a light blush covers her face, “I got sick of running to stay in shape over the summer and Bellamy said it'd be a good cardio alternative.”

Raven nods as she blatantly scans Octavia’s body, “I can tell it worked.”

Bellamy rolls his eyes and interjects, “If you're going to shamelessly hit on my sister in front of me, I'm going to need more alcohol. Anyone else need a beer?”

Lexa shakes her head, but Raven and Octavia give him the go ahead to bring them drinks. He heads over to the keg as Raven continues talking with Octavia. “Boxing is one of the only cardio workouts I can do with my bum leg,” she says as she gestures to her left leg, “I mainly stick to the bags, but it’d be cool to try to spar with someone.”

Octavia smiles, “We should practice at the gym in town sometime!”

Raven nods, “I'd like that. Though you might have to go a little easy on me if Bellamy helped train you. He’s shown me videos of his matches before and he’s really good.”

Octavia grins, “Something tells me you’ll be able to handle me.”

“I sincerely doubt that. You're a damn handful on your best days,” Clarke interjects as she throws her arm around her roommate’s shoulder and plants a kiss to her check. She looks up to see who Octavia is talking with and her mouth falls open, “Lexa? What are you doing here? I thought you had plans with your roommate.”

Octavia elbows her roommate in the side before leaning into to whisper in her ear, “You might want to close your mouth before you start drooling.” Clarke’s mouth snaps shut, but she keeps her eyes trained on Lexa. Lexa is a little stunned by the blonde’s presence, not having expected to see her tonight. Though, if she's being honest, she might be a bit speechless because Clarke looks good in her jersey and snapback. Really, really good. “I, uh, Bellamy invited me?”

Raven laughs at her roommate’s awkwardness and salutes, “Lexa’s roommate, reporting for duty.”

Clarke shakes her head, “Okay, my mind is a little blown right now.”

Lexa looks between Raven and Clarke, her eyebrows furrowed, “Am I missing something?”

Clarke focuses back on her, “Raven and I are lab partners. I invited her to the party earlier this week, and apparently you, too, because she said she'd be bringing her roommate.”

Lexa glances sharply at Raven, wondering why her best friend never said Clarke would be there. “Did she now? Funny, she failed to mention that.” Raven shrugs and feigns innocence, which Lexa doesn't buy. She narrows her eyes at her, silently signaling that they'll be having words later.

Raven grabs Octavia’s hand and pulls her toward the keg, “We’re going to go see what's taking Bell so long with those beers. Be right back!” Lexa glares at her roommate until she's lost in the crowd. She turns back to Clarke, who is smiling at her.

“Looks like we’ll be spending the night together after all,” Clarke says, before blushing when she realizes how that sounds. “I mean, we’ll be hanging out. If you want, that is. I guess I shouldn't assume that just because we ran into each other, you'd want to spend time with me. And now I'm rambling...I'm kinda regretting that third Jack and Coke now. I tend to lose my ability to shut my mouth when I'm drinking.”

Lexa laughs, “I do. Want to hang out with you, that is. It seems like we have a lot of mutual friends, so I think we would be, anyway. Speaking of…” Lexa tilts her head to the entrance, where Monty and Jasper have walked in and are scanning the room to find their friends.

“Clarkeyyyy” Jasper drawls as they reach the girls. “What’s up, party people?” he asks as he leans into Monty.

Clarke giggles, “Did you two pre-game with moonshine again?”

Monty grins, “Maybe...I swear we’ve almost perfected the recipe. Our next batch should be amazing.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “That’s what you‘ve said about every batch. I can’t believe you still manage to talk Raven into helping with the taste tests.”

Jasper narrows his eyes at her. “Raven knows something about loyalty, Clarke. Unlike you,” he points his finger at her before shifting his gaze to Lexa, “I bet Lexa would try our liquor.”

Lexa shakes her head, “I believe I’ll pass, since I actually enjoy living.”

Jasper scoffs, “You’d be damn lucky to one day be able to tell your friends you tested an early batch of our world famous moonshine. I’m so close to revoking your friend drinking pass.”

Clarke laughs at Jasper’s seriousness, “Something tells me Lexa won’t be too broken up about that, Jasper.” She turns to Lexa as Jasper scoffs, “I just can’t believe how many people we have in common. How the hell did we not meet last year?"

Lexa looks down at the floor, noticing the already high amount of spilled beer. She keeps her eyes trained down and busies herself trying to rescue her boots from the sticky mess. “Um….I wasn't very social last year. I had a rough first semester and kept to myself the rest of the year.”

Clarke can tell there's a story there, but doesn't press Lexa for more details. “Well, I’m glad you're here tonight. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

“Hell yeah, we are!” Jasper shouts, causing Monty to wince and tilt his head away from his loud-mouthed best friend. “C’mon, Mont, let’s get our drink on.”

Monty sighs as Jasper slings his arm around Monty’s shoulders, “Looks like I’m on drunk Jasper duty for the night. You two want something from the keg, or are you getting liquor from Bell’s room?”

Lexa and Clarke glance at each other and laugh when they respond with “liquor” in unison. Monty grins and says they’ll meet them up there, then leads Jasper to the line for the keg.

Lexa sweeps her hand towards the stairs, “After you, Clarke.” Clarke smiles softly when Lexa puts her hand on the small of Clarke’s back as they navigate through the bodies filling up the dance floor.

They reach Bellamy’s door and open it to an empty room. Lexa stands by the doorway as Clarke makes her way in. “Is it alright if we’re in here without Bellamy?”

Clarke waves her hand above her head as she ducks behind the mini bar. “Yeah, it's fine. Bellamy’s basically my brother and it's my duty as a sibling to invade his space on a regular basis.” She straightens back up with a bottle in each hand. “Looks like we've got tequila or vodka. Which would you rather do shots of?”

Lexa purses her lips as she looks between the two bottles. “Vodka. Tequila makes me do irrational things and I'm not sure we know each other well enough for you to be exposed to that.”

Clarke grins as she sets the bottles on top of the bar, “Oh, are you telling me you have a wild side?”

Lexa narrows her eyes at Clarke, “You don’t have to sound so surprised about it. I know how to have fun.”

Clarke laughs, “I never said you didn't!” She looks around the bar area, “Can you help me find some shot glasses? I could’ve sworn Bell had some up here.”

Lexa nods, “He did, but Murphy stopped by while we were pregaming and took them. He decided to keep his room open for the party and wanted to make sure the ladies had something to drink out of.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t use his lack of planning as an opportunity for girls to do body shots off of him,” Clarke says as she ducks back behind the bar to double check, “I guess I can see if Bell has a coffee mug around here or something.”

Lexa grabs the vodka bottle off the bar, “Or we could be spontaneous and drink from the bottle?” she says before doing just that. She grimaces as the liquor hits her throat, wishing she had a chaser to take the edge off.

Clarke stares with her mouth slightly open,“I’m starting to see that wild side you were talking about.” She reaches across the bar for the bottle, shivering a little when her hand brushes against Lexa’s as she hands Clarke the vodka. Clarke lifts the bottle up to her lips, aware of Lexa’s eyes following the movement. She tilts it back and gives a generous pour, shivering slightly as the liquor warms her stomach.

Lexa swallows as Clarke finishes her shot and meets her gaze before handing her the vodka bottle. “If we’re going to be doing more of these, I might need a chaser.”

Clarke nods, “Me, too. I could do tequila shots all night without a problem, but I need to pace myself with vodka or I’ll be embarrassing on the dance floor later.” She walks over to the mini fridge in the corner and bends over to look at the options. Lexa quickly averts her eyes, feeling like it might be inappropriate to oggle her new friend’s backside. “Looks like Bell has lemonade, Sprite, or Gatorade. Which one sounds good to you?”

“Lemonade is fine.” Clarke walks back to Lexa and grabs her hand, dragging her to the couch against the side wall. She places the lemonade bottle on the coffee table as Lexa does the same with the vodka.

Clarke props her feet on the coffee table and turns to look at Lexa. She takes in the brunette’s rigid posture and wonders what caused the easiness from earlier to disappear. Clarke watches as Lexa folds and unfolds her hands before finally setting them on her knees. “Did I do something to upset you?”

Lexa quickly glances at her, “What? No, not at all.”

Clarke looks unconvinced, “Are you sure? Was it cause I touched you? Octavia is always telling me I’m handsy when I’m drinking, but I’ve been trying to watch myself around you after the thing at the cafe.”

Lexa sighs and runs her hand through her hair, “It’s nothing you did, I swear.”

Clarke picks at a loose thread on her shorts, “Okay.”

Lexa hesitates only for a second before placing her hand on top of Clarke’s. “Really, I would tell you if you did something I wasn’t okay with. I don’t mind you touching me, “Lexa blushes as soon as the words are out of her mouth, “I could have probably phrased that better.”

Clarke chuckles, “It’s okay, I know what you meant.”

The two are interrupted by the rest of the group joining them, led by Octavia and Bellamy, who are arguing about something. Raven is smiling behind them, finding the siblings’ dynamic very entertaining. She quickly diverts her attention to the pair on the couch, where Clarke has turned her hand around and is lightly stroking Lexa’s slender fingers. Raven makes eye contact with Lexa and raises her eyebrow in question, but Lexa just shrugs her shoulders and turns back to Clarke when the blonde starts to speak.

“Oh, you are so getting interrogated later,” she mumbles under her breath.

“Who’s getting interrogated, and can I help?” Octavia says, suddenly appearing by Raven’s side.

“Jesus, are you a fucking ninja?” Raven nods at Lexa and Clarke, “I was just planning on asking Lexa what the deal is with her and Clarke when we get home tonight.”

“Oh, thank God I’m not the only one who sees it! Clarke has been so defensive about the lady boner she clearly has for Lexa, and I was beginning to think maybe I’d made it all up in my head.” Octavia says as she watches Bellamy walk over to the couch and squish next to Clarke, pushing the girls closer together.

“Are you kidding me? Those two couldn’t be more obvious if they tried,” she turns to Octavia, grinning wildly, “Want to help me make them see how into each other they are?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Octavia says before turning back to Clarke and Lexa,

She watches as Jasper sits down on the arm of the couch next to Bell and makes a move for the vodka bottle. Bellamy quickly grabs it and puts it out of reach. “Nobody gets any more alcohol until we all do a shot together.”

Clarke groans, “Yeah, that would be great, except Murphy apparently stole all of your glasses. So it’s a one shot at a time kinda night.”

“Oh, I have some solo cups in my sock drawer. Top one there, Monty.” Bellamy points to the dresser Monty is leaning against.

Clarke’s face scrunches together in confusion, “Why the hell are they in there?”

“So Murphy won’t find them. Duh,” Bellamy says.

“My mistake, that’s completely understandable,” Clarke deadpans.

Monty hands the cups out and Bellamy gives everyone a generous pour. “To old and new friends, and what I imagine will be a hell of a night,” Monty says as he holds his own cup up. The rest follow suit and tap their plastic cups together.

Raven downs her drink and turns to Octavia. “I don’t know about you, but I’m in peak beer pong performance form. Is that offer to play together still on the table?”

Jasper grins, “So many jokes could be made about what you just said.”

Bellamy punches him in the arm, “That’s my sister you’re thinking dirty jokes about.”

Jasper winces as her rubs the spot Bellamy hit, “And?”

Bellamy practically growls at him, “And don’t think about her like that. In fact, don’t think about her at all. Ever.“

Octavia rolls her eyes, “Okay, enough with the overprotective, big brother thing. And yeah, Raven, I’m so down to kick some ass tonight. Let’s go call the next game.”

Clarke stands up, “Wait a minute! O, I can’t believe after four years of being partners you’re tossing me aside for Raven? And you don’t even give me a heads up? I am hurt. And offended. And apparently in need of a beer pong partner.”

Octavia laughs, “Stop being so dramatic, Princess! I’m sure Lexa would be more than happy to team up with you.”

Lexa nods in agreement, “I wouldn't mind at all, Clarke. Especially since it seems like my partner also ditched me without warning.”

Raven shrugs, “Sorry, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to play with Octavia. She’s a legend around here.”

Lexa stands up and leans toward Clarke, whispering, “Don’t worry, Clarke, we’ll make them pay.”

Clarke grins, “I was hoping you’d say something like that.”

The group makes their way to the basement where multiple tables are set up for beer pong. Bellamy is greeted by several of his frat brothers, including Murphy, who looks bored as he stands next to a dark haired guy. His beer pong partner is clearly more invested in the game, groaning as he misses his shot.

“Hey Murphy, has anyone called next game?” Octavia yells across the room.

“Bellamy, I thought we said your sister was banned from playing beer pong after the last party?” a shaggy haired blond says as a series of groans erupts in the room.

Bellamy shrugs, “Sorry guys, you know I can’t keep O out of the game.”

Murphy shakes his head, “No one has called our table, so you can play us after I sink this shot.” His opponents trash talk him as he lines up for his shot, giving it a perfect arc and shooting it right into the cup. They groan in disappointment as Murphy’s partner pumps his fist and slaps Murphy across the back. Octavia and Raven walk up to the table as the others hang back and mingle with other students.

Murphy’s partner smirks across the table as they set the cups back up in a triangle. “Hey, Octavia.”

Octavia’s shoulders tense and she keeps her gaze focused on the cups. “Hi, Atom,” she says in a clipped tone.

Raven glares at the boy until he looks away, not liking how Octavia acts around him. “Bad breakup?,” she whispers so only Octavia can hear.

Octavia shrugs, “Something like that.” She sighs as Atom walks over with two beer cans from the cooler behind him.

“Your drinks, ladies,” he says as he sets them on the table. He stays focused on Raven, giving her his best smile despite the scowl she is clearly directing at him. “The name’s Atom. Jack Atom.”

Raven crosses her arms over her chest, “What, do you think that James Bond shit actually works on girls?”

Atom winks and tilts his head toward Octavia, “It worked on this one.”

Octavia rolls her eyes, “Oh, grow up, Atom. I hooked up with you one time and it was practically a pity lay, for Christ’s sake.”

Atom’s face darkens as he sulks back over to his side of the table. Raven turns to Octavia and just cocks an eyebrow. “So...really bad breakup?”

Octavia shakes her head, “Can’t really call it a breakup when we weren’t even together. Although, ask Atom and we were basically engaged.” She pops her can open and take a swig of beer before continuing, “We flirted a lot last year, but he had a girlfriend from high school, so we kept it innocent. But then she broke up with him and he was so heartbroken. One night when I was over at the house, we just got to talking until one thing led to another and we fucked. And then he started acting super clingy, like just because we had sex that gave him some sort of claim over me. He’d be really mad if I talked to other guys and kept pressuring me to make us ‘official’ and I just, lost it and blew up at him. Ever since then, he’s been petty as fuck.”

Raven winks at Octavia, “Ahh, in other words, just another case of the fragile male ego. Trust me, I’ve had to deal with plenty of those, so I get it.”

Octavia laughs, “Yeah, well, he has a very fragile ego. And a pretty fragile nose, because Bellamy broke it one night when he was being a massive jerk and wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Raven chuckles, “I knew I liked Bellamy for a reason.”

“Are you ladies going to stop gabbing and start playing?” Atom asks, “Or are you scared of losing?”

Raven’s glare is back in place, “This fucker is going down.”

The game is close at the start, but Raven and Octavia pull away once they find their rhythm. Eventually, they're down to their last cup while the guys still have four left. Octavia lines up and sinks her shot, Clarke cheering wildly. Raven knows if she makes her shot, the game is over. She glances at Atom, who is gripping the side of the table and looking worried. She can't help but get a dig in before she finishes this. Raven bounces the ball against the table, taking her time. She focuses completely on the cup and lifts her arm. “And with this shot, I just made you my bitch,” she says as she lets the ball fly. It lands perfectly in the cup.

Atom’s face is burning as he clenches his fist, “I’m no one’s bitch!”

Murphy smirks, “Actually, you kind of were Bellamy’s when we were pledging last year.” Everyone laughs as Atom stomps out of the room.

Raven turns to Octavia, “Well, that was certainly the most entertaining game of beer pong I’ve ever played. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone turn so many different shades of red before.”

Octavia’s face bursts into a radiant smile, “We make a pretty good team, Reyes.”

Raven just grins back as she starts setting up the table, “Alright, losers, who is brave enough to take us on after that masterful display of beer pong?”

Clarke saunters over to the table, “Lexa and I are ready to give you an actual challenge.” Lexa follows and begins moving the cups.

When the girls have the cups set up, Octavia starts the game, making a cup in the back row. Raven smiles sweetly across the table, “You’re so going down, roomie.” She takes her own shot and frowns when the ball bounces off the rim.

Lexa motions for Clarke to shoot first, and smiles when the blonde makes her first shot. She moves to the center of the table for her own and raises an eyebrow in challenge at Raven when she also makes a cup. They both miss their next shots, but it’s clear this game is going to be close. The group begins to draw a bit of a crowd as they match each other shot for shot. They’re both down to the last cup, after going through a three-cup overtime thanks to Lexa’s successful rebuttal.

Octavia lets out a whoop when Raven sinks her shot, “I feel like we should’ve put some money on this game. Or at least made some sort of punishment for the losing team. Maybe shotgun a beer, or streak around the house or something?”

Clarke shakes her head, “Stop procrastinating and take your shot.” Octavia sticks out her tongue at Clarke before aiming and tossing the ball. Raven high fives her when it lands in the cup. Clarke groans, “We have to make these shots or we’ll never hear the end of it. And I really hate when O gloats, unless I’m on the winning team with her.” Clarke lifts her arm and narrows her eyes, then tosses the ball. She jumps and cheers when it lands in. “Okay, Lexa. No pressure, but if you miss this, I’m not sure we can stay friends.”

Lexa laughs, “I wish you would have told me this before we started playing. Had I known how serious you took beer pong, I may not have been so willing to be your partner.”

Clarke gasps, “Is my competitiveness too much for you to handle?”

Lexa raises an eyebrow, “Oh, I think I can handle it.” She diverts her attention back to the game, “Now, excuse me while I shoot and decide the fate of our friendship.” Clarke obliges, moving to the side of the table. Lexa stares down the cup until she feels focused and then launches the ball at it. She holds her breath as it hits the rim and bounces to the floor. “Well, shit.”

Clarke lets out a bellowing laugh. “It may have been worth losing just to hear you curse.” She leans against the table and looks over at their roommates. Octavia is doing her typical victory dance as Raven looks on, smiling in amusement. “How about we go drown our losing sorrows in some alcohol and dancing?”

Octavia stops mid-hip thrust, “Did I hear something about dancing? That sounds like the perfect way for me and my new partner to celebrate!”

Clarke narrows her eyes and points between Raven and Octavia, “I don’t like this- the two of you together.”

Octavia rolls her eyes. “Too damn bad, cause Reyes and I are a match made in heaven!,” she says as she grabs Raven’s hand and drags her away.

Lexa grins, “Does that mean our friendship is still intact?”

Clarke nods, “You did play a pretty good game, but you’re on probation for at least week. ” She grabs Lexa’s hand and pulls her toward the stairs. “You can start making it up to me by keeping creepy guys away from me on the dance floor.”

Lexa nods solemnly and places the hand Clarke isn’t holding to her chest. “I vow to protect you with my life.”

“Jesus, Lexa, can you keep the dramatics to a minimum? We’re in public,” Raven says as her and Octavia follow. The foursome head up the stairs and emerge to an extremely packed dance floor.

“Guess everyone else finally found the party,” Octavia comments as they navigate through the crowd. “Let’s go back to Bell’s room for some shots, then hit the dance floor!”

The friends find themselves back on the floor a few minutes (and a few shots) later, joined by the guys. The group jumps around and dances silly as “Shut Up and Dance” plays. The group laughs as the songs fades out, a fast-paced song with a heavy bass following it. Raven spots Atom heading their way and quickly positions herself behind Octavia so the other girl won’t turn around and see him. “Let me show you how we get down in Portland.” She puts her hands on Octavia’s hips and pulls the other girl toward her, then turns to glare over her shoulder at Atom. Bellamy follows her line of sight and also stares him down. Atom stops in his tracks and immediately turns around to head away from them. Bellamy gives Raven a nod of thanks before being pulled into a conversation with Murphy.

“You know, you aren’t too bad of a dancer,” Octavia says as they find their rhythm.

Raven grins, “You don’t have to sound so surprised about that.”

Octavia slaps her arm, “That’s not how I meant it, and you know it!”

Raven leans in to whisper, “Mmm, feisty. Just how I like my dance partners.”

Octavia shakes her head, “Does alcohol make you lose your filter, or are you always this flirtatious?”

Raven laughs before responding, “I don’t really have much of a filter, so I guess the latter. Is that going to be a problem? I can tone it down if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Octavia turns around. “You really need to stop reading too much into what I say,” she says as she wraps her arms around Raven’s neck, “But, no, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Trust me, after growing up with Clarke, I am very used to blatant flirting.”

Raven repositions her hands, sliding them around Octavia’s back. “Ohhh, intrigue! Did Clarke have a thing for you or something?”

Octavia scoffs, “No, more like she used me as a sounding board for pickup lines to use on her crushes. Thankfully, her game has gotten much better than it was at twelve years old.”

Raven laughs, “I would hope so. Though, I do think some of the guys around here may have been better at talking to girls at twelve than they are now.”

Murphy chooses that moment to interrupt them, tossing his arm over their shoulders with his trademark smirk in place, “Ladies, how about turning this twosome into a threesome?”

Raven rolls her eyes, “Case in point.”

Octavia shrugs Murphy’s arm off, “Goodbye, Murphy.”

He shrugs, “Your loss. I see some hunnies by the door that are just calling my name, anyway.”

Raven watches him walk away and wonders for the hundredth time why they hang out with him. Her eyes are drawn to Clarke and Lexa, who are dancing with at least two feet of space between them. “Speaking of hunnies, what are we going to do about those two?”

Octavia follows her gaze to the pair. “They clearly need a push. Like, an actual push. We should bump into them to force them to dance closer.”

“Works for me!” Raven steers them in the other girls’ direction. She fakes a stumble when they’re close and shoves Octavia into Clarke’s back. “Whoops! Sorry guys.”

Clarke throws her hands out to stop her fall, which works but also means they land on Lexa. On Lexa’s breasts more specifically. She pulls them away quickly once she realizes where they landed. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Lexa!”

Lexa’s face is bright red, “Um, that’s okay.” She pulls her own arms to her side, as she had unconsciously grabbed Clarke’s waist to keep her upright. She coughs and tries to move as far from Clarke as she can, but the dance floor is full of people and she doesn’t manage to get more than a few more inches between them.

Octavia fakes a groan, “Oh damn, would you look at that? We lost our dancing space!” She bumps her hip into Clarke’s, “Guess we’ll all just have to squeeze in here.” She slyly gives Raven a thumbs up. They continue dancing, completely oblivious to the awkwardness they created.

Clarke is trying to meet Lexa’s eyes, but the other girl has her own trained on the ground. “Lexa?” she says tentatively, “I’m really sorry that I...uh, that my hands landed….that what happened just happened.”

Lexa finally brings her gaze up, “It’s okay, Clarke, really. It’s not your fault Raven is uncoordinated.”

Clarke laughs at Lexa’s bluntness, “Yeah, but I still feel like I violated you. It’s okay if you want to take off. It’s pretty crowded in here now, and I can’t promise I won’t be knocked into you again.”

Lexa smiles slightly at Clarke’s thoughtfulness. “No, that’s alright. I’d like to dance a little more, if that’s okay with you?”

Clarke nods her head energetically, “Yeah, of course it is!”

The girls dance for a few more songs before Lexa tells the group she’s going back to Bellamy’s room to get some water. Clarke joins her, needing a break from the dancing and heat. She collapses on the couch when they get to Bell’s room and find it empty. Lexa motions to the mini-fridge, “Do you think Bellamy will mind if I take a water?”

Clarke shakes her head, “No, I usually bring him a pack every so often to stock it with. Grab one for me, too?” Lexa brings the waters over to the couch and takes a long gulp from her bottle. The two sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace. Of course, it doesn’t last long, as Bellamy and group of his frat brothers barge in.

“Princess! Lexa!” Bellamy shouts when he notices them, “Come do a shot with us!”

Clarke jumps up to punch Bellamy on the arm, “I told you not to use that nickname around people!”

Bellamy rubs his arm, “I forgot, damn! Drew, pour us some shots.” The blond guy by the mini bar grabs cups and starts pouring vodka into them. Cups are handed around until everyone in the room is holding a generous pour of vodka. Clarke catches Lexa’s eye and holds her gaze as she lifts the cup to her lips, laughing when two of the guys sputter as they take their shots.

Twenty minutes and two shots later, and the girls are comfortably sitting on the couch. The guys left once the vodka ran out, so they’re alone again. Lexa is more relaxed than she’s been all night- possibly from the alcohol or from the feeling of Clarke running her fingers across her braids.

“I never did get the hang of braiding hair. It pissed Octavia off when we were younger because she picked it up fast and always braided my hair, but I could never do hers.” Clarke lowers her voice, “Don’t tell O, but I like your braids better. They’re more...complex.”

Lexa grins lazily at her, “Your secret is safe with me. I could teach you how to braid, if you want.”

Clarke giggles, “Oh, can we also do each other’s nails and stay up all night talking about our first kiss and boys?”

Lexa’s nose wrinkles in disgust, “I’ll have to pass on that invitation. Guys are not really my thing.”

Clarke drapes her legs across Lexa’s lap and leans back again arm of the couch, “Yeah, I know what you mean. They can be real assholes sometimes.” Lexa just hums in response. “So...you going to tell me about your first kiss or do I need to convince you to take another shot first?”

Lexa groans, “Fine, fine! My first kiss was….Maddie Peterson. In the sixth grade. She tasted like red skittles.”

Clarke smiles, “That sounds much better than mine. Curtis Lawrence in the fourth grade. He tasted like bologna, I think. And he used way too much tongue, especially for a fourth grader.”

“That is one of the many reasons I’m glad I never kissed a guy.”

Clarke raises her eyebrows, “Never?”

Before Lexa can response, the door to the room is suddenly thrown open. Octavia rushes in and calls out, “They’re in here!”

Raven joins them a second later. “Hey Lex, you ready to head home? Because there may or may not have just been an incident on the dance floor. That may or may not have involved me dumping a full beer over Atom’s head. That may or may not led to me being asked to leave the premises.”

Octavia busts out laughing, “It was so fucking hilarious, you guys! If only you could’ve seen his face. But yeah, Raven has to leave now.” She hands Raven her coat, “Next time, try not to get kicked out before we can beat the house’s record for most consecutive wins in beer pong.”

Octavia tosses Lexa’s coat at her, which she easily catches. Lexa turns to Clarke, “So apparently we’re leaving.”

Clarke stands up with her and the group heads to the front door. “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I had a really good time. And sorry again about the uh, groping.”

Lexa shrugs, “I do wish you had bought me dinner first. But honestly, I had a great time.”

Clarke laughs and reaches in for a hug before stopping, “Is it okay if I hug you?” Lexa nods and Clarke closes the distance between them, breathing out a content sigh as Lexa’s arms wrap around her. She turns to Raven after Lexa steps out the hug, “Come here, you idiot.” She gives Raven a quick hug and makes eye contact with Lexa. “Get this delinquent home without any more fights, okay?”

Lexa nods solemnly, “I’ll try my best. Have a good rest of your night.” She opens the door and lightly pushes Raven toward it, “Let’s go, troublemaker.”

Raven grins, “Bye Clarke, bye Octavia. We’ll have to hang out soon. Text me if anything more exciting happens tonight!”

Octavia and Clarke watch from the doorway as the two roommates walk down DU’s driveway. “I think this is the start of a beautiful thing,” Octavia muses as she leans against Clarke.

Clarke hums in agreement, “You might be right about that, O.” They lose sight of the other girls as the pair turns a corner. “Now let’s get back inside so you can tell me exactly why Raven gave Atom a beer shower.”

Octavia’s excited chatter echoes across the lawn as Clarke wraps her arm around her best friend’s shoulders and closes the door behind them.


End file.
